


Counting Broken Hymns

by loviet



Category: Monsta X
Genre: Abusive Relationships (Not Glorified), Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Found Family, Friendship, Growth, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, escaping abuse, mental health, toxic side relationship, unhealthy relationship (not main leads)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:47:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 42
Words: 176,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23254183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loviet/pseuds/loviet
Summary: How many mistakes can you make?How many wrongs can you right?How many pasts can you fix?How many risks can you take?How much of yourself is still there?How much of your life are you happy with?How much time can you get back?How much trust will you give to someone who can show you the way?In which a man finds a spark that's about to die out and decides to see if there's a way to for him to fan it until it becomes a reckless blaze.In which a woman finds broken pieces, haphazardly glued together and uses her palms to smooth over the cracks until the picture is whole again.
Relationships: Wonho / Yena
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	1. 42

The average human, with no prior training, can hold their breath for one minute underwater.

One minute.

60 seconds.

60, 000 milliseconds.

One minute.

One minute of pure, blissful, euphoric silence.

One minute of closing your mind off and the only lingering thought being _how long will I last?_

Ahn Yena sat in her long, grossly expensive, marble bathtub and stared aimlessly at the blank wall in front of her. 

"I should hang a picture there." She mumbled lifelessly to herself.

She could pick any picture she wanted, from some of the most critically acclaimed artists in Seoul.

But she couldn't think of a single thing that would fit.

She imagined all sorts of different pieces she could put up but she couldn't imagine a single one that would fit well with the house.

Maybe a photo of the two of them.

Did they even have a recent one that wasn't taken at a gala or investor's dinner?

Probably not.

Besides, putting a photo of the two of them in a bathroom would be kinda weird anyways.

Her eyes slid down to the water lapping at her skin and gazed at her toes, red, perfectly manicured and pruned beyond belief.

She slowly started to slip lower and lower into the tub until the scented water was sloshing against her chin.

The water had long gone cold but her body had been numb for longer, it didn't affect her. She enjoyed being in water, more particularly taking a bath, because it was the only time she really had to herself besides running errands.

The hustle and bustle of her busy life as a future-CEO's fiancée kept her on her feet, juggling all the duties she had to do as a fiancée to someone so well known, respected and feared.

All the polite, practiced smiles, all the firm yet kind handshakes, all the glasses of wine that were served to her but went unfinished so that she could remained dignified, all the mindless, unsubstantial conversation with wives of people she neither remembered nor respected all while managing her own career.

It could get to be too much sometimes.

She often felt like she was trailing behind her fiancé, struggling to keep up with the life that he was so accustomed to but one that she was still trying to assimilate with.

She couldn't blame him, he was busy and barely had enough time to acknowledge her much less coddle her when she was thrown in a new environment.

This was her life.

It was her choice.

She said yes when her boyfriend of 6 years proposed.

She said yes when he asked her to move in with him before they got married.

She smiled and nodded when he asked if the house was big enough, as if it could get any more embarrassingly larger. 

She didn't flinch, despite how much she wanted to, when he showed her the new wardrobe he got for her.

 _Wardrobe suited for a CEO's wife_ , was what he said.

She knew when she dated him that he was from a prestigious family, but it wasn't until she lived in the same house as him that the reality really sunk in. She came from a middle income family who ran their own modest business. She wasn't ready for the change but she had to _make_ herself be ready.

Her life was turned on its head.

Subway passes were switched in for expensive foreign cars. Ripped jeans and slouchy sweaters were switched in for blazers and formal wear. Take out containers were switched in for brunch with investors. 

Yena closed her eyes, let out a breath and slowly slipped further down the tub until the water raised past her chin to her lips and from her lips where she inhaled deeply so that it could pass the bridge of her nose, the skin of her eyelids and smooth expanse of her forehead before she was entirely submerged under water.

This was her life.

And she was happy.

Things got overwhelming and strange at times and sure, sometimes she had to act a certain way, say fake things and do boring activities that she'd otherwise never do, but…she was happy.

I mean, who wouldn't be?

Living in a house that big, wearing clothes that expensive, driving a car that foreign with a fiancé that successful.

That was the dream right?

So she should be happy even if date nights or lazy morning cuddles weren't ever on the itinerary.

Her life could've been a lot worse.

The average human, with no prior training, can hold their breath for one minute underwater.

One minute.

60 seconds.

60, 000 milliseconds.

One minute.

One minute of pure, blissful, euphoric silence.

One minute of closing your mind off and the only lingering thought being…

_How long will I last?_

\-----

Yena stepped down from the stairs in an outfit that she neither chose nor liked but wore nonetheless, with her handbag draped over her shoulder and a large box nestled between her palms. 

Most women would find it suffocating to have their fiancé pick out their clothes for them and lay them out on the bed before they even stepped out of the shower, but Yena never said a word about it. She'd wear the clothes he laid out because at the end of the day he's the one who bought them for her.

She knew that Namjoon wanted her to appear a certain way to the public and despite her hating the clothes, she knew that she'd only disappoint him if she chose her wardrobe for herself. She owed him that much, his image relied on her as much as it relied on himself. She had to accept it if she was going to marry a CEO.

Her long brown hair was expertly tousled with her own skills that she spent hours perfecting and although she wasn't fond of the boring brown shade, her hair was still the one thing she had the most say over.

"Where are you going?"

Yena turned and blinked at her fiancé who was staring at her dubiously. He dressed immaculately in a suit and watch that would cost more than some kids' entire post-secondary education.

"To work. Where else?" She said with a gentle laugh that he didn't return.

Kim Namjoon.

The heir to the Kim Corporation.

She wasn't entirely sure what exactly the company did but after attending various functions with him, she managed to piece together that it had something to do with a string of shopping centers.

She and Namjoon had met in college, he had been a few years older, but at the time he was out on a rebellious streak to do whatever he could to soil the great Kim name.

He was on a mission to get his name on the front page of every tabloid he could in the worst ways. There was something daring about him that she liked and although his sharp tongue and uncaring tone had always been directed at her even back then, she had grown used to it.

He showed he cared through the small things. 

Kim Namjoon didn't care what people thought of him or what they felt, he'd just say what was on his mind and end it at that. If you didn't agree with him, he didn't have time for you.

But the older they got, the more he started to seriously entertain the idea of taking over his father's company and when time rolled around for applications for business school, Namjoon had decided to go for it.

With the help of some crafty PR people, they managed to turn his image around from a loose cannon to a hard working, determined mogul.

And somewhere along the way she had managed to stay by his side as he grew and changed. 2 years ago when he had proposed and the answer seemed obvious.

Yes.

What else would she say?

Either way, with his busy schedule and her mind on other things, the wedding date was never set and the pair of them just got comfortable with being simply engaged.

"Work?" Namjoon worded out carefully, as if it was the first time she ever used the word. He snorted and shook his head before looking at his phone. "Skip it. We have a brunch with investors in an hour."

Her sharp brows knit as she gaped at him. "Skip it? I can't skip it. It's my job. I can't just flake last minute, they don't have a substitute teacher on standby."

He sighed in annoyance, his brow twitching in irritation, "How hard is it for them to find someone to take care a bunch of children? Can't they just hire a nanny to take over for you? Isn't that all elementary school teachers are, anyways? Paid mothers."

Yena swallowed the lump down her throat and gave him a smile. He was never fond of her being a teacher, he wanted her to strive for something more impressive but she was happy where she was, doing what she loved.

Although he had pulled strings to get her a job at a private institute, it was still fun.

"I can't skip it." She said softly as to not provoke him into another angry rant.

He closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Fine. I'll just tell them that you're sick and couldn't make it."

She looked at him in confusion, not understanding his need to make up an excuse and when he caught her look he snorted.

"I don't need to remind them that I'm going to be marrying a primary school teacher. I need to maintain _some_ semblance of an image, you know."

Yena looked down at the box in front of her, biting down on her lip to resist the urge start a fight she'd surely lose and just chose to smile instead.

"I'll see you when I get home."

He waved her off and went back to his phone, "I probably won't be home until late. Don't bother waiting up."

She nodded although he couldn't see and balanced the box on her hip while she reached for a pair heels, although the heel itself was barely higher than the tip of her thumb.

"You're not wearing heels to work are you?" He asked.

Her hand stilled mid-air before she turned to him, "Why not?"

"You're working as a teacher, not a tramp." He said simply as if he was telling her to take an umbrella or reminding her to pick up milk on the way home.

But she wasn't surprised.

This was often how he spoke to her. He randomly throw in vulgar words to describe how people would think of her if she acted a certain way.

After being with him for so long, she was still trying to get used to this life and she was constantly afraid of doing or saying something that would humiliate him.

He sighed when he saw the hurt across her face, "I'm just trying to look out for you. I don't want you to humiliate yourself or get a bad reputation in front of important people. You know that I'm the only one you should trust, right? I always have your best interest in mind and I know best."

Yena smiled and nodded, "I know. Don't worry about me."

"The real world is a scary place, Yena. I know that more than anybody and marrying me means that you'll be involved with the business and that could mean dealing with a lot of sharks. I'm just protecting you, so don't get offended over something like that. This is for your own good."

Grabbing a pair of flats instead, she slipped them on and turned to him, "Of course. I'll be heading out. Have a good day at work. I love you."

And with nothing but a distracted nod, Namjoon walked away.

\-----

"Remember, your book reports are due next Friday so please start reading your chapter books now or else you guys will be up all night writing your report the night before it's due. Is that clear?"

"Yes Ms. Ahn." A class of uniformed 10 year olds said back at her in unison, making her smile.

She dusted her hands and glanced at the clock before sighing when she saw a few of the kids packing their bags already. "Alright, you guys are dismissed early but don't tell Principle Jung."

The second she finished her sentence, the class was thrown into a hurricane of noise as students ran to their friends to catch up, share stories or play games while the other half of the noise came from the scrapping chairs and moving tables as everyone filed out the door.

Yena turned to the black board and began wiping it down when she heard someone call her. One of her student, Baek Hyae stared up at her with round sparkly eyes that glittered behind her glasses.

Yena would never admit to having favourites in her class. She really did love all her students equally, even the rowdy troublemakers at the back.

But she'd be lying if she said she didn't have a special spot in her heart for Hyae. "Is everything okay, Hyae?"

"Ms. Ahn, can I do this book for my report?" She asked while holding out a small novel.

Yena walked over to her and took the book from her hands, "Well let's see." She skimmed through the book and scanned the back before she nodded.

"This should be fine Hyae, just make sure you can read it before the report is due." She said while handing it back to her.

The girl grinned, making Yena smile as she clutched the book to her chest, "Thank you Ms. Ahn."

"Anytime, Hyae. Now hurry out to the front, your driver will be waiting for you." The little girl bowed before racing off.

Yena turned back to the chalk board, cleaning the rest of it down when a soft knock at her door caught her attention. The door creaked open slowly and for a second she thought that Namjoon had come to visit her after ditching whatever meeting he had for the day.

But she should've known that he'd rather die than step inside the school.

"Hey Yena, you done for the day?" Airin, one of the teachers that Yena had become close friends with asked.

She grinned and nodded, "Just about."

She had met Airin on her first day and the two immediately bonded when she saw Airin doodling pictures of the principle sitting on top of a watermelon during a faculty meeting.

It wasn't often that a teacher at _this_ school would be that blatantly impolite and Yena liked it.

"Me and some of the other teachers are going out for a drink. Want to join us?"

Yes.

Yes.

God yes.

A drink sounded absolutely deluxe but she knew she'd have to reject. Even if Namjoon wouldn't be home, he knew too many people and if she ran into one of them, they'd tell Namjoon that they saw her out drinking with her colleagues and then he'd get furious.

He didn't like it when she was seen hanging out with people who didn't run in his circle. She understood, of course, that he was a high profile man, but she did long for a girl's day out that didn't involve stuck up trophy wives.

"Can I get a rain cheque? I need to run errands." She said with an apologetic smile.

Airin shook her head, "You are always on your feet. Rain cheque it is. One day I'm going to get you drunk Ms. Ahn."

Yena chuckled as Airin closed the door. Yena noticed the woman had dropped her pen and opened the door to run after her to return it when she froze in her spot.

"Why do you invite her every single time we go out?"

Airin shrugged, "I like her, she's fun when she's not in teacher mode."

"Yeah but she always says no when you invite her. Why even bother asking her? She's always with her fancy fiancée."

"Who knows," Airin said, "Maybe one day she'll say yes. You never know unless you ask. Persistence is the key my friend."

"Okay but did you hear? It's been 2 years since they got engaged and they haven't even set a date. I'm telling you, they aren't going to last. I mean, he's a CE--"

Yena shut the door, blocking out the rest of that woman's statement and was just grateful that she had Airin.

She was used to hearing negative things whispered about her in regards to Namjoon, he'd mostly tell her to get over it.

He was a public figure so criticism was a given, _no use of crying over every little remark._

He was right to an extent, but it was hard when every little remark was directed only at her and never at him.

She closed her eyes and collected herself before slapping on the dignified smile that she had practiced so much that it almost felt real and gathered her things before walking to her car.

She had no time being upset over small matters.

She had an empty house to get to.

\-----

He strolled out of the bathroom, one of the two that the seven of them shared and entered his room with his hair still sopping wet.

He shook his golden brown bangs out with his hand, droplets of water flying everywhere as the damp strands fell over his eyes. He threw his towel off to the side and grabbed a pair of boxer and pants and slipped them on before wandering to his desk.

Shin Wonho pulled open the drawer to his desk and shuffled around until he found a roll of gauze. Drops of water dripped off the ends of his hair as he unrolled a bit of the cloth before wrapping it snugly around where it needed to go.

_"Why do you still do that?" Kihyun asked when he saw Wonho walk across the living room in a t-shirt._

_The man looked at his wrapped up arm before shrugging casually, "I don't know. It's kinda therapeutic I guess."_

Once he was done, he slipped on a black sweater and threw it on before grabbing a leather jacket off the hook. He heard it was supposed to be cold tonight.

Opening his door, he saw face to face with 6 other guys spread out around the living room watching TV.

Hyungwon was on his phone, sprawled out on the couch with Kihyun curled up on the other side with a pillow under his head.

Jooheon and Minhyuk were pointing at something on the TV, screaming loudly at each other, it was hard to tell if they were agreeing on something or fighting over something.

Shownu was on the ground, flipping through a book with his legs outstretched with Changkyun resting his head on the eldest's shins while focusing his sole attention on the show they were watching

Man, it sure did come in handy when one of your best friends was so filthy rich that he was willing to pay for a flat so all 6 of his friends could live together without paying rent.

Bless Shownu and his divorced parents who were so eager to buy their son's love, that they'd kick in for an apartment on the richer side of town.

And bless Shownu for being so weak in the heart that he'd rather get a place for all 7 of them than have them live far away from each other, scattered, while trying to make a living.

Wonho grinned at the sight of them and pulled his sweater's hood over his hair as he put his jacket on.

The universe must've been tripping on acid when it thought that it'd be a good idea to put the 7 of them together.

But boy was he glad that it did.

Shownu glanced up when he saw his friend walking to the front door."Where are you going?"

Wonho bit back his smile. The older man always asked him the same question every single night at exactly 10PM when Wonho would get ready to leave.

And every night he'd give him the same, unchanging answer.

But that never stopped him from asking.

"For a smoke." Wonho said as he picked up the small cardboard box from the counter and held it up for Shownu to see.

Hyungwon tsked while keeping his eyes on his phone, "Those things'll kill ya."

"Not if that damn motorcycle does it first." Kihyun muttered under his breath.

Wonho chuckled, as he always did and called out with the same answer that he'd always say wheneverhis friend said that to him.

"I've made it out alive through a lot worse."

\-----

Wonho loved the night time the most.

It was secretive, mysterious and entirely too taunting.

He could understand why people would be afraid of the dark, the unknowing and the blindsided effect of the darkness provided a handicap.

But not him.

He thrived at this time of day.

Which might explain his affinity for dark clothing.

There was comfort in knowing that there were places and shadows that he could exist in where he would be invisible to the world.

Just a moment of calming, unnerving silence.

He took his beloved stark black motorcycle from the apartment to the small park that was located a few blocks away. The ride was quick at night when the streets were empty and sometimes he wove through the lanes for fun when he had the entire street at his mercy with nothing but the streetlights and neon business signs that coated a glow on him.

The guys gave him a hard time for choosing such a dangerous vehicle but he got a kick out of the thrill and speed. But he knew to be safe during the day when he was among cars, it was the night that made him come alive.

So he saved up and bought the nicest bike, all black, he could afford and treated it like his baby. Hyungwon once commented that he probably loved the thing more than them.

That wasn't true but Wonho thought it came in a close second.

He found a parking space with ease due to the lack of patrons and pulled his helmet off before kicking out the kick stand and swinging his leg off. Once he was out of the parking lot, he made his way through the park.

He slipped his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders up as he strode along the curvy walkway.

In the day time, that park was the hub for civilization filled with joggers, bikers, kids with their mothers, teenagers with their friends, lovers with each other, it was lively and he appreciated that.

But there was something magical about that place at night.

It was relatively empty except for the odd person or two who wanted to walk their dog at night.

He walked over to his favourite bench, one that everyone aimed for in the day time but no one dared to come near at night. In the day it was a great spot to avoid the heat under the shade, but at night it was one of the darkest corners of the park.

He stood on the bench surveying the empty park before sitting on the top of backrest of the seat, his feet firmly planted on the part most people sit on.

Wonho flicked open the box and stared at the little sticks before pulling one out and slipping it between his lips.

It was the one bad little habit of his that he didn't bother kicking. He had quit so many bad habits that he figured he owed himself to keep one of them.

He patted his body, in search of a lighter until he found one in the depth of his pockets. He brought it up to cigarette and flicked it a few times before it caught on the end of the cigarette, the glowing red embers being the only thing that gave his location away.

He let out a puff of smoke just as his phone buzzed against his hip. Thinking it was one of the guys, he pulled it out and glanced at the caller ID.

_The Devil._

"Fucker won't take no for an answer." He muttered to himself, speaking between the stick in his mouth.

He frowned and declined the call before putting his phone on silent and tucking it back into his pocket while taking another long drag and letting out a stream of smoke, like the dragons that he used to read so much about as a kid.

The dragons that the knights in shining armour would slay to save the damsel in distress.

Was he proud that he smoked? Not really.

Did he think it was attractive habit? Hell no.

Was it something he enjoyed doing? He was impartial.

Was he intrigued by the fact that something so small and seemingly insignificant could kill him a few years down the road? Yeah. Yeah he was.

But he was Shin Wonho.

And he was going to live forever. 


	2. Chapter 2

"Did you call him?"

The older man, hair greying at the side burns, kept his head down in respect, "No sir, he isn't answering my calls. Not after he said no the first time."

The other man rubbed his eyes in frustration before sighing, "I told you it'd be easier using you to get to him. Fine, just keep trying to get a hold of him. We need to get to him before anything happens. This is your top priority."

"Yes, sir."

\-----

Wonho was on his back with his feet sticking out from under a car as he tinkered with its pipe work. A customer came in complaining about a strange sound that was coming from the ignition every time they turned it on. He had spent an hour fiddling under the hood before he decided to give the underside a look.

Wonho had been working at the autoshop for a few years and had worked his ass off, coming in early and staying late until he made his way up the ladder as the boss's right hand man

He was pretty sure the old man was planning on giving the company to him once he retired and Wonho had every intention to carry on the business. This had quickly become his passion.

It was like each car that came in was a new question that he had to find the answer to.

Grease was smeared along the length of his arms and splotches across his sweater, the sleeves which were pushed up past his elbows, but it never bothered him. It was equal to the calluses on the palms of his hands and the scars across his body.

It was proof that he was still alive.

He was in the middle of unscrewing a bolt when he felt someone kick his leg. He craned his neck and saw a pair of shiny black dress shoes next to his boots. Grinning, he rolled himself out from under the car and beamed brightly up at Shownu who was staring down at him with a blank face.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were in meetings all day." He said while standing up, wiping his greasy hands on a rag.

Shownu lifted a brown bag, "I ditched my last one to grab lunch. I brought you some."

Wonho snorted before taking it from him. "Thanks, honey."

Shownu's face was unbothered as he scanned the shop, "You guys are busy today. The business must be doing well which comes as a surprise ever since you started giving free service to pretty girls."

"Oh my god. That was one time and I was just trying to be funny, the girl was bawling her eyes out for getting into an accident in her dad's car." Wonho said rolling his eyes at his friend's reminder.

Shownu chuckled, "But otherwise, business looks like it's been good to the Jungs."

"It's been good. Tiring though, we have back to back appointments all day today and tomorrow and now Mr. Jung wants me to go out and talk to some suppliers before the end of the day." Wonho said as he tossed a couple of fries in his mouth while leaning against the car.

His friend slipped his hands into the pockets of his dress pants, "Better than having no schedule at all, right?"

"Is that why you snuck out to come here?" Wonho said with a cocky grin.

Shownu scrunched his face up, making the other man laugh, "Why can't I just work here?"

"Because you make more money working for your filthy rich dad plus you barely know how to fill a tank of gas let alone fix a car based on a customer's description of _its making a clunking sound. Fix it."_ Wonho snorted as he threw a few more fries into his mouth.

Shownu grunted, unhappy, while flicking Wonho's ear that was dotted with silver piercings, "What I would give to be able to dress like this for work."

Wonho smiled while chewing until his phone started buzzing. When he wiped his hand on his pants and pulled his phone out, his smile shrivelled up into a disdainful grimace.

_The Devil._

Sighing he declined the call and put his phone away. He glanced up only to see Shownu raising his brows, "Why don't you just answer it and see what he wants?"

"It's always the same damn thing. I said no once. He needs to get the hint." Wonho muttered while setting the bag of food on the hood of the car.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and opened it but before he could pull one out, Shownu took it from him and tossed it on the hood of a car nearby.

"Spare me, please." He deadpanned.

Wonho huffed but made no attempt to pick it up and instead just sighed. Shownu said nothing as he inspected his friend's face, the only time his cheerful and bright expression would ever darken was when he got that phone call.

He glanced at his watch and then sighed, "I need to go, they're probably looking for me."

"Changkyun must be a really bad influence on you. You're skipping work and eating burgers for lunch." Wonho snickered, his previous frown quickly forgotten.

Shownu shook his head and headed for the door, "Don't remind me. That prick has been clinging onto me more than usual. I think he wants money."

Wonho sniggered, "Well try not to die of boredom, the guys want us all to have dinner together tonight."

"As long as Minhyuk doesn't cook, I'll be there." He said while checking his phone.

"See you around old man!"

Wonho could only laugh hysterically when his friend shot his middle finger at him from over his shoulder.

\-----

"Who will be there again?" Yena asked as she buckled her seatbelt after she got into the car next to Namjoon.

She was dressed in another outfit that Namjoon had laid out for it, a bit more pretentious with the white blazer and plain beige dress with demure flats on her feet.

He sighed in annoyance, "I told you before, these are just some colleagues who wanted to get together for lunch with their wives."

"Will I know any of them?" She asked quietly with her hands folded in her lap.

Namjoon's face stayed blank, "Sejong's wife should be there. You know her, right?"

Yena nodded but stayed quiet as she stared out the window. She didn't like Sejong's wife, hell she didn't like any of their wives.

They weren't mean or cold to her, but hearing them gossip about the other wives behind their backs always made her uncomfortable. If they were talking cattily about other women to her, chances were that they were gossiping about her to other women.

It just wasn't her scene and she just couldn't relate to a lot of the wives there, being around them made her feel more like a trophy wife, just on for show to show off to the other men but she knew Namjoon wasn't like that.

He needed to attend meals like this to maintain business relationships and it helped him if she could make a good impression on the wives as well.

It was her job as his future-wife. She signed up for this.

"Try not to talk too much and embarrass me." 

She stilled and turned to look at him but his eyes were on the road, "What?"

"Don't go on and on about the toddlers you teach or something. Try to be more dignified, would you? Pretend. Those people won't treat you the same way I do, they'll just laugh in your face. You're lucky that I treat you so well and give you so much freedom, some of those men don't even let their wives leave the house without them much less maintain a job. Remember, not everyone will be as kind to you as I am. So do me this favour and try to be seen and not heard." He said sternly like he was scolding a child.

Yena squeezed her hands in her lap, her engagement ring digging painfully into her finger as she watched the fancy restaurant come into view.

"Okay. I promise." She mumbled with a smile before getting out.

\-----

"We missed you at brunch a few days ago." Mina, Sejong's wife said as she faced Yena who was sitting next to her.

Yena gave the woman a fake smile and saw Namjoon watching her from the side of her eye, "I wasn't feeling well. It's a shame because it sounded like everyone had fun. I'm sorry I missed it."

Mina, well into her 40's, brushed back her expertly coiffed hair with flawlessly applied makeup and smiled her beached white smile, "You missed a show. Hyejin confronted her husband's mistress and the both them went at it in the middle of the restaurant. They had to call security and drag both women out."

"I felt so bad for them. Mina must be utterly humiliated after the show she put on. Poor woman probably won't show her face for a while." Another one of the wives said in a hushed tone, as if discussing something scandalous.

Yena smiled again, without missing a beat, "Well it's a good thing that no one got seriously hurt."

"Cheating or not, she's not leaving him. Not when she lives by luxury spa weekends." Hyejin said, completely ignoring Yena.

A third wife leaned closer with wide eyes, "I saw her coming out of her house to get the newspaper when I went for a run and I saw a new diamond necklace around her neck. Looks like he threw a some jewellery at her to get her to stop throwing a fit."

"That's horrible." Yena said with furrowed brows.

The women tittered with laughter, "Oh sweetheart, that's the way it is."

"You think my husband bought me these earrings just to be sweet?" One of the women said to while showing off her ruby gems while looking over at her husband who was sitting at the same table but was oblivious to her.

Hyejin gently laid her manicured hand over Yena's, "Don't worry sweetheart, wait until after you're married to the same man for 10 years. You'll get used to overlooking petty things like this to see the bigger picture. There are more important things that fidelity and passionate romances."

"Pardon?" Yena gaped.

Hyejin snickered at the young girl's expression, "Sweetheart, the long winded romance only exists in movies. Monogamy is a thing of the past, it's easier to just accept the reality now and enjoy life. Love is great when you first get together but it never lasts. At the end of the day there will be other priorities for the both of you."

"Yeah. You want a funny, handsome, rich, kind, loyal husband who loves you unconditionally _and_ is young? Ha. Good luck. But at least the 2017 spring collection in my closet will keep me company." One of the women chimed in bitterly.

Another one checked to see if her husband was listening before leaning towards them, "He's had a different whore everyday this week. When I first found out he was cheating a few years after we got married, I was devastated but after a while I realized that I don't even have sex with him anymore anyways, so I might as well get a new car out of his side piece flings."

Yena's smile faltered a fraction, barely notable as the women went back to talking amongst themselves.

"We just make sure we have an understanding. As long as my bank account remains full and their little hook ups don't get to the tabloids, then they can do whatever they want with whoever they want." Another woman chimed in.

Hyejin sighed while adjusting her vibrant dress, "It's silly to get caught up on idealistic romantic fantasies. They're not realistic. Like I said, don't worry, you'll figure it out on your own."

That's not the life she'd want at all.

It sounded torturous.

Fights and arguments happened all the time in relationships, that was natural, but she wanted a loving marriage. One where she would always be the one that would catch her husband's eye even in a sea of women.

And that's who Namjoon was.

He could be blunt, sharp tongued, cold and sometimes said things without knowing how it made her feel, but the one thing she could count on was the fact that he never paid attention to other women.

It wasn't just her own delusion, she had seen him rebuff multiple advances from other beautiful women and despite everything, that was reassuring to her.

She couldn't imagine, 10 or 20 years down the road, being in an empty marriage like the wives around her.

That sounded horrifying.

"That won't happen." She said quietly.

Hyejin stopped talking and turned to her, "Pardon?"

"Oh, I just mean, I don't think me and Namjoon will have those kind of troubles in the future." She said with a pleasant smile.

The women blinked at her before they bursted out laughing, catching the men's attention. Yena gulped and glanced over at Namjoon whose lips were firm as his eyebrow twitched in annoyance when he stared at her.

"What are you ladies laughing at?" One of the husband's, old enough to be Namjoon's father, asked with a smile.

Hyejin waved him off while trying to contain her laugher, "Nothing. It's just that Yena over here is so sweet and innocent, she doesn't sound like me when I was her age."

Yena looked back at Namjoon who closed his eye for fraction of a second and let out a frustrated breath but just as he opened his mouth or divert everyone's attention, the waiter stepped in holding a bottle of wine.

"Chardonnay?" He asked her while showing her the label of the vintage brand.

Yena let out a silent sigh of relief and let out a genuine smile, "Yes, that sounds lov--"

"No, she won't be having any." Namjoon cut in sharply before giving her a pointed look. 

She pursed her lips as Namjoon looked up at the waiter, "She'll have an iced-tea."

"Oh. Are you sure madam?" The waiter ask while turning to her.

Yena smiled with rehearsed ease, "Extra sweet please."

She looked at Namjoon, seeing the irritation in his eyes, "Namj--"

"Have you met with Mr. Tsai from the Chinese branch?" Namjoon said while turning his back to her to face the man sitting on his other side.

Yena closed her mouth and turned her head to the other women who were engrossed in their own conversation, leaving her isolated between the two groups.

A glass of ice tea was set down in front of her and with a sigh, she brought it up to her lips and pretended that it was enough to get her tipsy.

"Oh, I need to take this call. It's Tsai." Namjoon said while standing up.

She opened her mouth to say something sweet, but he was already taking the call, greeting Mr. Tsai with this typical charismatic tone, while walking away.

\-----

It was when everyone was standing up, gathering their belongings that Yena's pleasant smile started to shrivel into a grimace.

Namjoon hadn't come back.

"We'll see you around dear, the gala's coming up soon, I'm sure you'll attend, right?" Hyejin asked as she slipped her jacket on.

Yena smiled and nodded, "I'm sure I will be there."

The two women kissed each other on the cheek before they all bid goodbye. Grabbing her purse and jacket, Yena walked around the restaurant until she found her waiter.

"Excuse me, have you seen my fiancé? He left to take a call a while ago."

The waiter nodded in recognition, "Yes, he left, taking the car. He said he had a meeting with a Mr.Tsai." 

Yena's lips parted with shock as her eyes widened, "He...He left? B-But I don't have a ride home. Everyone left."

"Oh don't worry, Ms. Ahn, Mr. Kim sent one of your cars. I guess it's a good thing you didn't drink today." He said while handing her the keys.

She stared at the silver set in her palm before sighing.

\------

"Shin, did you get a chance to drop by those suppliers, yet?" Mr. Jung, the 57 year old owner called out from his office.

Wonho slammed the hood of the car he was working on down and locked it in place, "I made a few calls and narrowed your list down to some of the more reliable suppliers because we don't need a repeat of those engines not being delivered. I'm going to head out to visit them now."

"You, my son, are a god's send." Mr. Jung said with a chuckle before closing his door.

Wonho grinned at the man's compliment, his chest warming. He always had a soft spot for the old man who was willing to hire someone with nearly zero work experience and an unimpressive college degree.

He gave him a second chance and Wonho had become increasingly grateful for second chances back in the day.

Wonho wiped his hands on a rag, satisfied with finally being able to find and fix the mysterious clunking sound that his customer was complaining about. He was sweating bullets, but he made no attempt to change out of his long sleeve shirt other than rolling the sleeves back down.

Pushing his light brown hair out of his eyes, he grabbed his jacket and helmet from his office and got onto his bike before heading straight to the suppliers that he had to meet.

Wonho had been riding his motorcycle for about 5 years straight. Every now and then he'd borrow one of the guys' cars if he needed to run an errand that needed more storage space or if his bike was being fixed, but he spent more of his commute on that bike.

At first he had been nervous having never ridden one before, but it was quick to fit like a glove and almost became as second nature as using his legs to walk.

Despite loving the wind whipping against him and the speed and agility involved with weaving in and out of a line up of cars, his top priority was to be safe and made sure not to pull anything stupid for kicks. The guys would whoop his ass if he did.

He hadn't once gotten into an accident.

So when the stop light turned green and he revved up his bike and took off down the road, he didn't expect a car that was stopped at a red light to suddenly jerk forward and hit his bike, sending him skidding off.

\-----

Yena was stuck at a red light, chewing on her lip as she drifted off in thought.

Hyejin's words shouldn't have affected her as much as they did. It wasn't that she doubted Namjoon or their relationship, it was just a strange thing to think about.

Sure, Namjoon wasn't affectionate or touchy and sure, he didn't sweep her of her feet with romantic lines, but that was the way he had always been, even back in college.

But at the end of that day she was okay with that. She didn't need all of that fluff, she lasted 6 years with him just the way that he was and she had grown used to his quirks. She was comfortable with him.

He was a bit controlling but again, she was used to that, that was just how he showed he cared.

That didn't mean love wasn't there, right?

Every now and then she would feel strange waking up to an empty bed and would wonder what it would be like to huge or kiss someone to sleep, but those thoughts never lasted long.

She couldn't be selfish, not with the career he had and how hard he worked.

_"You have a full time job and yet you have time to watch those stupid dramas and get those weird romantic fantasies in your head. Come on Yena, I don't have time for this."_

"Couples don't have to see eye to eye about everything." She mumbled to herself while zoning out.

She was a bit of a romantic and he was more of a realist.

Opposites attract.

Yena closed her eyes and took deep breaths in and out. Breaths that were getting shaky and unstable. Breaths that were getting faster and faster until she was on the verge of hyperventilating.

Just as she was about to fall into an anxiety attack, the car behind her honked, making her gasp. Thinking the light had changed, she slammed her foot on the acceleration just as a motorcycle shot out in front of her.

And before she could hit the break, she felt the bumper of her expensive car nudge the side of the bike, sending the driver skidding across the pavement.


	3. Chapter 3

Namjoon strolled into his father's office and waited for him to look up but the old man kept his eyes on his computer and spoke formally, "Did you handle the Tsai account?"

"I've talked to him, he's positively reviewing the deal." Namjoon said seriously.

His father nodded and glanced at his watch, "Good. Make sure you continue to do well, investors and the board are watching you carefully. If you want to take over the company, you'll need to prove them your worth."

"I understand."

"Last year's numbers weren't as good so I'm expecting a lot better from you. I don't want to be disappointed again." His father voiced out gruffly.

Namjoon's jaw was tense but he nodded nonetheless, "I'll make sure of it."

"Now that we've covered that," His father started as he leaned back in his chair, "Why haven't you and Yena picked a wedding date? It's been 2 years, people are starting to talk."

Namjoon relaxed his shoulders and tilted his head, "What are they saying?"

"That she's pregnant and you're waiting to get rid of it before walking down the aisle. Other people think you're back to your old ways and are just messing around because you're not ready for commitment." His father said while taking off his glasses.

Namjoon made a face, "Since when do we care what people say?"

"I don't. What I care about is you ruining your image that we worked so hard to repair and having that effect your future here. When I told you that you had to get married soon and you came to me a day later saying that you're engaged, I was thrilled. 2 years later, I'm getting kind of ticked off. You need to prove that you're responsible and the fact that you haven't gotten married or even set a date is not doing you any favours." He said while lacing his fingers in front of him.

Namjoon shrugged, "We've both been busy, she has a job and I've been busy with work. We haven't done any wedding prep."

"That's not a good excuse. You getting married is what this company needs for publicity and you playing the role of a faithful husband will do wonders for you. So stop wasting everyone's time."

His father's eyes narrowed when he saw the break in Namjoon's face where hesitation and reluctance appeared.

"If you don't like her, you shouldn't have proposed to her. I had a long list of people who wanted you to meet their daughters or nieces. You're the one that chose the teacher." His father said, his brow twitching.

Namjoon rolled his jaw with blank eyes, "Not this again."

"You're the one that's going to be stuck with her because I sure as hell won't let you ruin your image with a messy divorce when you get tired of her." He growled.

"I'm aware, don't worry. I'll handle it." He said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "She's spacey and barely has it together when we go out to corporate events or dinners. I just wanted to wait until she was more presentable and knew how to conduct herself in our crowd before I openly call her my wife. She's more or less an embarrassing mess now."

His lip curled over his teeth in a snarl, "So fucking hire her a trainer if you have to. I'm not wasting another year fielding questions from reporters on why you two aren't married. I don't care if she embarrasses you. You proposed to her, so you're stuck with her."

"I know what I'm doing, father." He gritted out through his teeth, his eyes flinching.

His father walked around his desk and stood in front of his son's face with a growl. "You could fucking hate her for all I care, you _are_ getting married to her before the end of this year."

Namjoon closed his eyes, his hands trembling in suppressed anger as his father reached out and fixed his son's tie.

"We've worked too hard and stepped on too many people to get to where we are. Don't throw it away just because you proposed to a girl that you don't want to marry."

\-----

Wonho groaned as he rolled on his back, away from his bike.

His helmet felt heavy on his head but after laying on the ground for a few seconds, he was relieved that nothing felt broken or sprained. He probably just had to deal with a few scrapes and bruises on his arm.

He was pretty damn lucky.

Yena was frozen at the wheel, her eyes wide as cars cautiously drove around the biker. Her body was shaking as a cold sweat formed on her forehead before she snapped out of her daze.

"Oh my god." She gasped before fumbling with her seatbelt and tripping over her feet as she stumbled out of her car.

She raced to the driver and leaned over him, her body shaking furiously, "Oh my god. Are you okay? Do you need an ambulance? Y-You're wearing all black so I can't tell if you're bleeding. Are you hurt?"

Wonho winced and pushed himself up, straightening up to loom over her in height. He weakly unclasping his helmet and pulling it off his head. He ruffled his sweaty hair and glared up at her.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Didn't you see the light?"

Yena gulped and helped him stand up, scanning him from head to toe to make sure he didn't need medical attention.

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention and I thought the light changed green."

"Why would you think it was a green light if it was obviously still red!? Did you look at the light at all before you slammed your foot on the peddle?" He exclaimed in exasperation. 

She rocked nervously on her heels as she followed him to his bike. "T-The car behind me honked so I thought th--"

The car behind her rolled down their window and stuck their head out, "I just wanted to tell you that your indicator lights are burnt out."

"Oh." She said dumbly as the car drove away.

Wonho sighed as he knelt to his bike and inspected the damage. Yena took this time to get a better look at the driver. He had golden brown hair that fell over his sharp eyes, a pointed nose and large puffy lips that were turned down in a frown. He was wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a leather jacket with a sweater underneath that clung to his body.

He had silver earrings lining his ear that glinted in the sun as his eyes raked over the crack mirror, scratched up metal, chipped paint and dented tail of his bike.

"Fuck." He muttered under his breath while ruffling his hair in frustration.

This was his treasured baby and getting it fixed would not only cost a small fortune, it would also take a week max.

Yena darted her eyes to the bike and she bit back a gasp, "Oh god I totalled it."

Despite the situation, Wonho's lips twitched up at her overdramatic statement. He lifted the bike upright and gave it another once over.

"It's not totalled, but it's in pretty shit shape." He glanced at her expensive car and nodded at it, "Your bumper took a hit too."

Yena stared at the dent and felt dread set it. Namjoon would be furious if he found out that she not only got into an accident that was her fault but also dented the car he got for her.

He'd probably take her keys away and get annoyed at her again for causing trouble, especially if this somehow got around. The last thing she'd want to do is make people think that Kim Namjoon's future wife is a liability.

Wonho ran a hand through his hair, "Yours shouldn't be too hard to fix, but fuck, you really did a number on mine. You need to watch where you're going and get that headlight fixed or you're going to get someone kille--"

His words trailed off when he turned and noticed her zoned out while staring at the small dent on the bumper.

Wonho considered himself a really easy going, light hearted dude, but when anyone messed with his baby, his defences came up so it didn't help that the woman who hit his bike wasn't even listening to him talk.

But he finally got a chance to take in the person who ruined his baby.

And damn, if his precious child was going to die by anyone's hands, he was glad it was someone as stunning as her.

The type of beauty that slammed a man's throat shut.

Her skin had a tan tint to it, something he personally appreciated in women, and was framed by long brown hair that curtained her wide eyes, a sharp slope of a nose and perfectly shaped red glossed lips.

To be honest he wasn't quite sure if her eyes were naturally wide or if she was still having troubling accepting the car accident.

He had to tilt his head as he took in her bland, monotonously plain, wardrobe with the white blazer and knee length dress, something he wasn't entirely too fond of, but that didn't change the fact that she was a looker and most likely a heartbreaker with legs that could kill.

And he'd be _damned_ if he didn't like a good pair of legs on a woman.

But then his eyes landed on the giant ring on her finger and he made a face.

_Taken._

The pretty ones always were.

"Hey." He said waving his hand in front of her face, "Hello? Excuse me. Are you listening to me?

Suddenly Yena stiffened and straightened out before facing him. Wonho looked a little taken back, her face that was previously washed over in a multitude of emotions was cleaned off into a dignified look of indifference.

Wonho froze as well as he stared at her face that now had a standoffish and impersonal look to it. She looked like a politician with those fake million dollar smiles but dead lifeless eyes that made promises of a better tomorrow if you vote for them.

He narrowed his eyes and pointed at her, "Wait…do I know you from somewhere?"

This time Yena looked a bit taken aback as she furrowed her brows, "Me? I don't think so. Have we met before?"

"No," He said as his voice trailed off, "I guess not. My mistake."

He pointed to his bike, "Now about the damages."

"Right!" She said before jogging to her to grab her purse. She pulled out a scrap of paper and messily wrote down her insurance information along with her name and number and handed it to him before giving him a pen to let him to the same.

"I'll pay for everything. Again, I'm so sorry." She said as he handed her his information.

He grinned boyishly, his previous aggravation long gone, "Or you could just let me buy you dinner and we could call it even."

Wonho almost bursted out laughing when he saw the stricken look in her eyes, like he had just asked her if he could shave her hair off to sell on ebay. Her eyes were wide with panic and the stiff standoffish vibe was back.

Yena cleared her throat and took a step away, "Look, I know I ruined your bike and I already said I was going to pay for it so I don't see how dinner i--"

"Relax, I was joking. I think people in space can see the ring. I got the message." He said while nodding at her finger.

Yena frowned, not appreciating the joke nor the candid, teasing humour in his voice. "I thought jokes were supposed to be funny."

"Only if you're smart enough to understand them." He fired back.

Her eyes widened, " _Excuse_ me?"

"Kidding, again…maybe you're right. Maybe I'm not funny." He joked with a cheeky smile as he scratched the back of his head.

Yena resisted the urge to roll her eyes since she was still in public and for all she knew he recognized her from the engagement picture that was in the news 2 years ago, but she did not like this guy at all, "Okay well, do you need a ride to somewhere?"

"I'm good. The bike still works, it'll just be a bit dangerous but I can make it to work fine." He said with a crooked grin, watching the her simmer down the flustered and slight irritated look in her eyes.

Yena tried not to look too visible annoyed or put off by the driver and forced out a smile, "In that case sorry again for hitting you. I'll be on my way."

He watched her walk back to her car and just as she reached for the door, he called out to her with that same damn cheeky look in his eyes.

"Even though you're engaged, the dinner offer is still on the table. Entertain the idea at least..." He looked down at the piece of paper she gave him before looking back at her.

"…Ahn Yena."

\-----

Yena was freaking out as she parked behind a takeout store.

She had spent the last 20 minutes staring at the dent and the longer she looked at it, the bigger it felt like it was getting. There was no way she could just leave it parked in the garage where Namjoon could see it, she had to get it fixed.

So she then spent the next 15 minutes inside her car, on her phone, looking up mechanic shops that offered 24 hour service. Namjoon normally worked until past midnight and if he was out with clients, he'd be even later and probably drunk so she had the time, she just had to move fast.

"Jung's Mechanic." She mumbled to herself, reading out the name of the shop that had the highest customer ratings.

"It's around the corner. Yes!" She cheered under her breath before peeling out of the parking lot and speeding down the road.

She was going to be saved.

\-----

"All of my mechanics are booked solid for the next few days." The boss, she assumed he was Jung, said with an apologetic smile.

Yena felt her shoulders drop as all hope drained from her body, "Really? Well, do you know where I could go for a quick repair? Preferably a 24 hour one? I looked some places up but this was the only business that had 24-hour repair options."

Jung stared at her before tapping his pen against the schedule book. "You know what? Hold on, I might be able to find you someone."

Yena watched him pick up the landline and dial a number before holding it up to his ear. She could hear a phone ring somewhere in the depths of the rooms behind him.

"Hey, is Shin back from the suppliers? He is? Great. Let him know I'm sending a customer over for some repairs." He hung up and smiled at her.

"Looks like you're in luck. One of my best guys came back early and is free to look at your car. I'll drive your car over just head on back." Jung said while taking her keys.

Yena smiled and bowed gratefully before slowly walking through the back of the shop where dozens of men and women with tattoos, scars and piercings all over their body, were leaned over different cars, inspecting the contents. The smell of grease of and oil hanging thick in the hair as she walked around aimlessly looking for a mechanic whose face she had no idea what looked like.

She cleared her throat and looked away when a few of the mechanics stared at her probably because her clothes made her stick out like a sore thumb.

Finding a female mechanic, she tapped the woman on the shoulder and gave her a small smile, "Hi, do you think you could point me to Shin?"

The woman chuckled and pointed to the car next to hers, "He's down there."

Yena followed her finger to a pair of jean clad legs that were sticking out of a car. Giving the woman a grateful smile, Yena moved to the person and cleared her throat before crouching down and gently shaking the person's leg.

"Umm…Shin? I'm the customer Jung was sending to you." She said while standing up.

"Just a sec." The muffled voice called out just as Jung pulled up with her car and set the keys on the hood.

Then, because the universe just loved Yena more than anyone else, _Shin_ rolled out from beneath the car he was working on, looked up from where he was laying and gaped at her.

"Holy hell." He said with a laugh while wiping his sweat.

She blinked at Wonho before glowering, "Wait… _you're_ Shin?"

"Shin Wonho. Our boss likes doing the last name thing." He said before laughing again, "Ahn Yena, well damn. Did you come all the way here to reconsider that dinner date? That didn't take long. Give me 15 minutes to shower and I'll take you out on the best date you've ever had."

Her face was frozen in a distasteful frown, ignoring his quip, "You work here?"

His jacket that she saw him in when she hit him with her car was long discarded and was left in a form fitting sweater and a pair jeans.

"No, I just like creeping under people's cars for fun." He teased as he stood up and dusted his hands on his jeans.

He scanned her car before another dumbfounded laugh escaped his lips, his straight white teeth on display, "Are you kidding me? First you hit me with your car and now you want me to fix it while my bike is sitting in the parking lot with a shattered mirror and a dented body?"

Yena's chewed nervously on her lip before shaking her head while taking a step back, "Maybe I should just ask someone else."

Wonho held back his smile, intrigued by this tiny, beautiful woman. "I'm kidding and besides, no one else is available which is great for you because you're with the best." He said while looking back at the damage on her car.

"This should be simple to fix. I think we already have the parts in storage. It should take a couple of hours if you want to come back." He said while grabbing a clipboard from a table nearby.

Yena shifted uncomfortably while glancing around the gritty shop, "Is it okay if I stay here? Without my car I can't really go anywhere."

Wonho glanced up from his clipboard and stared at her before looking off to the side, "Yeah, there should be a seat for you over there, it won't be fun though."

"That's fine." She said agreeably.

He grinned at her, "It'll be like that picture of a single pretty flower in the middle of a disgusting landfill."

"Are you always like this? Are you always such a flirt?" She asked with a straight, unamused face.

He bit down on his bottom lip, "It's my unique charm."

Wonho was back to fighting back a smile as he filled out the new customer paperwork. She seemed totally fine hanging around a dimly lit mechanic shop with rock music blasting in the background with scary mechanics, half ex-convicts and half just plain terrifying.

He found her amusing, especially considering the clothes she was wearing and how put together she looked.

"I'll need your license."

She dug around her purse and pulled it out her wallet before handing him the card.

He looked at it while writing down her info before his pen stopped moving, "I'm sorry, this says you're 27."

"Yeah because I am. Is there a problem?" She asked with knit brows.

He looked at her face and then at her attire and then back at her face, "You're a year younger than me."

"Okay…and?"

"And why are you dressed like you're the first lady?"

Yena gaped at him before looking down at her clothes that Namjoon had picked out for her. She _did_ look a bit like the first lady, but hearing his tone directed to clothes that Namjoon chose made her feel defensive. As if Wonho was insulting Namjoon's taste.

"There's nothing wrong with the way I dress. I like these clothes." She said snappishly while tugging on her jacket.

Wonho grinned his signature grin and raised his hands up in mercy, "Hey, all that matters is that you like it. Who gives a shit what I think, right? I wear grease on my arms like it's an accessory. What do I know?"

Yena's lips were turned down in a permanent frown as she crossed her arms over her chest. This wasn't a place where she would find herself during any day of the week and she was positive that Namjoon would throw a fit if he found out she got her expensive car serviced here of all places.

There were elaborate and colourful graffiti designs on all the walls but it seemed intentional, less like vandalism and more like art. She stared at the patterns in interest until Wonho was holding her card out to her.

"You can take a seat over there. I'll let you know when your car is ready."

She nodded and shuffled off to the bench bolted against the wall and took a seat.

Wonho turned back to the car and walked around it, pressing the base of his foot against the wheel, testing the pressure and popping the hood to take a look inside.

"LP." He called out to his co-worker walking by.

The red head raised his brows in response, "Yeah?"

"Grab me a new set of headlight fixtures and a new battery for this bad boy."

\-----

About 4 hours later, Yena's eyes were growing heavy but she forced herself to stay awake, constantly checking her phone in fear that Namjoon finished early and wanted to know why she wasn't at home.

Finally, after what felt like years, a thin man with the initials LP on his shirt, walked up to her and handed her a clipboard, "This is your receipt. Shin just finished up so you're good to go."

"Fantastic." She breathed out while standing up.

She scanned the paper before her lips turned down, "What's this?"

LP peered over her shoulder to see her pointing at a list of things. "Oh, that's what you got serviced today."

"No, I just came in to get my bumper replaced." She said, her eyebrows knitting deeper as she read the long list of changes made to her car, half of which she barely understood.

LP shrugged, "But Shin replaced all this stuff for you. I know because I'm the one who brought him all his equipment."

Yena felt her brow twitch. This was why Namjoon would've been pissed at her for getting the car serviced somewhere shady. They'd replace more things than she came in for and then run up her bill after they did it without her permission.

"Okay, but I didn't ask for any of this stuff." She said tapping her pen against the board.

LP looked frustrated with her, "Why does it matter? It's not like he's even charging you for any of it. Just take the free upgrades, damn."

"Wait…what?"

He sighed and pointed at the total, "He only charged you for the bumper."

"Why?" She breathed out in confusion when she stared at the low price.

LP threw his hands up in the air, "I don't know. I'm not him! I just know he does shit like this all the time."

Yena looked around the room and couldn't spot Wonho anywhere and looked back at receipt to read through it again.

And then, at the very bottom in lazy handwriting was a little note.

_You owe me._

_-W_


	4. Chapter 4

"What the hell happened to you?" Hyungwon said as he strolled into Wonho's room that night and found him shirtless on his bed trying dabbing cotton balls drenched in alcohol rub.

Wonho glanced up before returning to his task, "Don't worry. I just got into a little fender bender this morning."

"You better not tell Kihyun, he's been waiting for the day you get into an accident so he could say _I told you so_." He said as he sat down on his desk chair.

Wonho ripped a band-aid with his mouth and pressed it against a cut before looking at his friend, "I expected more of a reaction from you."

"You're alive aren't you? No use in getting all worked up for that." Hyungwon said with a shrug.

Wonho could help but laugh, it was strange how one of the guys he was closest to was Hyungwon. He was the complete opposite of him and the pair rarely ever really talked to one another and yet he'd put his life on the line for that guy.

While Wonho was all smiles, jokes and light hearted fun, Hyungwon was more serious, quiet and snarky. And yet they got along just fine.

"Dinner's ready. Shownu had to wrestle the pan out of Minhyuk's hand when he saw him trying to make food so we just got take out instead." Hyungwon informed.

Wonho nodded as he finished patching himself up, "I'll be there in a second."

Hyungwon stared at Wonho's hand before sighing. He spun in the chair and shuffled through the drawers until he pulled out a small roll of gauze. He rolled himself over to his friend and took his left hand.

"I don't get why you do this. You don't need to wrap it so why bother doing it?" Hyungwon asked while getting rid of the old gauze and wrapping it with a new one.

Wonho said nothing and watched as Hyungwon tied the gauze together before standing up, "Drive safer next time."

Wonho slipped into a sweater, despite the heater being turned on, and slung his arm around Hyungwon as they walked to the kitchen where everyone had gather around the dining table.

"How's school?" Wonho asked as he sat next to Changkyun who was in the middle of stuffing his face.

Kihyun used to joke all the time that the 7 of them were like an actual family with Shownu and Minhyuk as the parents and the rest of them as children and brothers. It was a common thing people would say about a close group of friends, but whenever they all had dinner together, Wonho could see the similarities.

Changkyun was the youngest, still in university and was babied the most. If he asked one of the guys for $10 for lunch, everyone else who overheard him would give him an extra $10 each.

He'd come in asking for $10 and somehow leave with $60.

"Good." He said as he swallowed. "Mid terms are coming up though. It's going to be a bitch."

"You can take my car if you need to drive to library." Jooheon offered as he reached over the table to spoon food onto his plate.

Jooheon had recently graduated and was interning at some company. When he wasn't working, he was running around, screaming or singing until he had every single person in the flat laughing their asses off.

"Yeah or me and Kihyun can drop you off on our way to work." Hyungwon and Kihyun recently started writing for a local newspaper and spent most of their time on the road, looking for new stories to write.

Changkyun grinned, "Thanks guys."

"I'm so glad I'm done with school. I don't want to ever think about writing another exam again in my life. I'm glad I just have a job." Minhyuk said with a groan. He worked as a bank teller at a fancy bank on the higher end of town.

That was the one thing that was harder for them to adapt to, since Shownu's parents bought them a flat near their house, it ended up being in the upper class part of town. Even though they all had pretty stable jobs aside from Changkyun, they were still wildly out of place and out of their league other than Shownu who grew up in luxury.

It took some getting used to but Wonho still got looks in the elevator when people from other floors saw his black clothes, leather jacket and piercings. He was sure that one of them even called security before learning that he was actually a tenant there.

So although they lucked out with a nice place, they didn't necessarily belong there.

\-----

Yena pulled into her garage and stayed inside the car.

She hated to admit it, but her car had never driven this smoothly before. Her brake pedals were replaced to and all she needed to do was press down gently on it and it would bring her to a stop.

The hum of engine was quiet before but now it was almost non-existent. He even polished her rims and got her a platinum coated bumper.

And he fixed that headlight.

Regardless of if she liked him or not, she had to admit that Shin Wonho was a damn good mechanic. 

Yena walked into her house, disarmed the alarm and stood silently in her foyer. The lights were off, the house was coated in darkness and only sounds came from the jingling of her keys and automatic Rumba that was driving around the floors, cleaning them.

Namjoon wasn't home again, and it was a Saturday.

She glanced at her home and tried not to be disappointed when she didn't see a text from him, telling her that he'd be late. This was the norm for him, something important would come up and he'd stay at the office until dawn.

She took off her flats and slipped on some slippers before padding up the stairs. Honestly, she admired Namjoon. He was working towards earning one of the most prestigious positions in Korean business and instead of having it handed to him by his father, he worked day in and day out to _deserve_ it.

She didn't know how he did it.

She didn't know how he could stay at the office until 5AM and then come home for a quick shower, nap and change of clothes before heading back at 7AM. He barely had time for himself, much less for her and it made her appreciate how hard her worked.

On the other hand, Yena _lived_ for the time that she had off from work and Namjoon's work functions. She loved relaxing around the house and doing nothing.

Opening her closet, Yena stretched before slipping off her blazer and hanging it up. She unzipped her dress with a bit of a struggle and let it pool at her feet before grabbing a pair of leggings.

Namjoon hated leggings.

_They're not stockings and they're not pants. And they're far too tight and revealing. Why would you wear them in public?_

But at night when she's getting ready for bed he let her wear them without a complaint. She pulled on a baggy hoodie, another piece of clothing that had Namjoon cringing, and headed back down the stairs.

She grabbed her keys, phone and wallet, put on a pair of sneakers and left the house. She loved Namjoon but sometimes she enjoyed when he worked late. Not because she didn't want him around, but because he didn't get worked up over her going out alone.

He was always worried about tabloids or some big incident happening that he never let her go out alone at night and that was the one rule of his that she often disobeyed.

What he doesn't know won't hurt him, right?

She liked going on short walks through the park or to the convenience store a night when the chilly air wrapped around her. 

It was refreshing and her neighborhood was a pretty good one so she never feared for anything happening to her on her own.

Yena took her regular path, towards the little market near her house. Every other market in her neighborhood were high end, organic, classy chains where a bottle of water cost more than some people's paycheck.

And although she made a hefty amount for herself, she didn't see the point in spending her money for something she could get cheaper elsewhere. But Namjoon preferred imported produce and only wanted the best.

Which was why these little trips were fun for her.

"Yena! You're back! I haven't seen you around recently." One of the older women who manned a food stall she frequented often, called out to her.

Yena grinned and ran up to the stall, "I've been busy lately that the minute I get home I just want to fall asleep. I've been craving your fish cakes all week."

"Dear, you should drop by earlier than! We missed seeing your face." The woman said while preparing a bowl for Yena.

Yena said nothing and just watched her spoon some of the soup into the bowl. If she _could_ stop by earlier, she _would._

Yena handed the woman some cash before she continued walking down the market, taking her time to look at the different stalls, even purchasing a few snacks that she'd have to hide from Namjoon.

She walked passed an electronic store when she stopped in front of a window where the news was playing.

_"Police are looking for a 38 year old man, about 6 ft 5, who has been reported for sexually harassing young women on the streets and on the subways of Seoul. He has dark brown hair, dark brown eyes and was often seen wearing a blue baseball cap. Please call 1-1-9 if you see him and do not confront him yourself."_

Yena knit her brows before unease settled in her stomach. The market side was pretty busy but once she'd need to head home, the roads become desolate around this time of night. Of course nothing bad has ever happened on the multiple times she walked home before but now…

…Now it was time for her to head home.

Yena walked faster than normal on her way home, trying to make it back as soon as possible until the entrance to a park caught her eye. She knew this park well and if she cut across, she'd get home in half of the time.

But when she looked down the dark path that disappeared into the depths of the nothingness, she hesitated. The floodlights weren't on yet and it looked just as empty and dark as the rest of the streets.

Was getting home quicker worth it?

"Maybe I should just take the long way home." She mumbled to herself.

But then the news report echoed in her head, reminding her of the man lurking about and she decided to just jog through without stopping.

She was almost halfway to the exit when her footsteps scrapped to a stop. A chill ran down her spin as her heart started to race.

Why did it feel like someone was watching her?

Her hand started to tremble as she gripped the bag in her hand tighter. Her breathing started coming out fast and erratic as she slowly turned her head.

A gasp died in her throat when her peripheral caught the sight of someone standing a few meters behind her, silhouetted in the night. They weren't moving. They were just standing in the middle of the path behind her, staring at her.

She couldn't make out any features, but she knew the person looked big.

Like they could hurt her.

She snapped her head forward and started walking, her heart spiking up when she heard the person behind her start walking as well, following behind her.

She slowly reached into her pocket and gripped her phone, ready to dial for help when the footsteps started speeding up.

Yena picked up her pace, her eyes glued shut until she felt a cold grip around her arm and someone yanking her around.

She opened her mouth to scream until she opened her eyes.

"Holy shit, Ms.Flower-in-a-landfill? At this rate I'm going to start thinking that the universe wants us to be together."

She gaped at Wonho who was staring at her with his head tilted and that same _damn_ amused grin on his lip with a lit cigarette balanced between his teeth.

Letting out a sigh of relief, she ripped her hand out of his grip and glared at him, "What the hell is your problem? Why the fuck were you _following_ me? Are you insane?"

Wonho's lips quirked up even further when he heard the string of curses escape her lips. It didn't seem like something that would come out of a woman like her but then he got a good look at her cozy wardrobe and raised his brows.

She didn't look like the first lady anymore.

"My bad. I come out here for a smoke every night and I saw you walking. I thought it was you but I wanted to make sure." He said simply with a shrug.

"You could've just said something instead of following me in the middle of the night." She muttered, holding her anger in.

He just smiled while inspecting her face closely, "Sorry." She shot him a dirty look that just amused him more, "What are you doing out alone in the middle of the night, Red?"

"Red? What happened to Ms.Flower-in-a-landfill?" She muttered sarcastically.

Wonho bit down on his lip, resisting the urge to smile even more as the cigarette dangled out of his mouth, "Flowers don't do your beauty enough justice."

"Oh my god." She groaned before turning away, unappreciative towards his clever line.

Wonho didn't miss a beat and caught up with her, exhaling a cloud of smoke, "I bet I got your heartfluttering for even a half a second, Red."

"Trust me when I say no, you didn't." She deadpanned. "Does that line work on most girls you use it on?"

He shrugged, "I don't use the line often, just on pretty engaged women who curse like a sailor and don't say thank you when they get their car upgraded for free."

The last part got Yena chewing on her lip in regret, "Thank you for the upgrades. You really didn't have to give them to me for free."

Wonho watched her from the side of his eye, his smile widening as he took another drag of his cigarette, "Now, do you actually mean that or are you trying to move yourself out of the category of women I use cheesy lines on?"

"Never mind." She muttered, her guilt long gone and replaced with irritation.

Wonho chuckled, surprising Yena with its deep and warm tone as he bumped his shoulder with her, "Oh come on, I'm just messing with you."

Yena said nothing and just held her breath, refusing to inhale the tobacco that was steaming out of his mouth. If he wanted to ruin his lungs he could go right ahead, but she had a long and healthy life ahead of her and she wanted to keep it that way.

Noticing her stiff back and pressed lips, Wonho caught onto her and tossed his cigarette aside before putting it out with the heel of his shoe.

"You can breathe now. It's gone. You might pass out at this rate."

Yena didn't even bother to hide the gasp of air she let out as she struggled for a breath.

"I'm guessing you're not too fond of smoking?" He asked, amused.

Her face was expressionless as she looked straight forward, "You're free to do whatever you want but keep it the hell away from me."

"I'll keep that in mind for next time."

She couldn't help before turn her head a fraction to glance at him before looking back forward, "There won't be a next time."

"Well there should be."

"Well there won't be."

" _Well_ who's going to walk you home at night when you're too scared to walk yourself."

"Who said I was scared!" She exclaimed, snapping her head at him.

He smirked and leaned towards her, "Don't act like I didn't see you sprinting across the park like you were going for gold in the Olympics, Red."

She huffed and looked away, embarrassed, "I wasn't scared. And I don't need you to walk me home. I'm engaged."

"And I'm not asking you to marry me, Red. Although if I knew you'd say yes, I'd be down on one knee faster than you can blink." He said wiggling his brows at her.

He could see the irritation radiating off of her body as she fisted her hands by her side, most likely bottling up the urge to deck him across the face.

"And besides, you owe me."

She stopped walked and turned to look at him, "Excuse me?"

"Remember? I clearly wrote _You owe me._ I want to cash that in now." He said with a crooked grin.

Her lips were parted in confusion, "You have _one_ IOU and this is what you want to use it on?"

He nodded cheerfully, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"How is letting you walk me home, a favour? It doesn't benefit you at all, if anything it's making you go out of your way. Shouldn't you be asking for money? Or for that dinner date?" She fired back.

He stepped closer to her, the scent of sharp peppermint and cigarette smoke mixing with the sweet scent of her peach shampoo, "If you'd rather I take you out for dinner, I'm all for it."

"That's not what I mean." She said while crossing her arms.

He grinned boyishly, "Let's just say that I benefit from ensuring the safety of Olympic track stars like yourself."

"I don't really feel comfortable being alone with a complete stranger at night." She said with a raised brow.

Wonho rested his hand over his heart, "I'm hurt. I thought the two of us really bonded when you hit me with your car."

She stared at him for a solid minute, her eyes not straying from his face and he just smiled, meeting her eye without flinching until she sighed, trying again, "I don't want you knowing where I live."

"Then I'll walk you to the end of your street."

Yena looked unsure, "It's only a 10 minute walk."

"That's all I'm asking for." He said without hesitation.

She still wasn't sold, "And after that we're even?"

"Yup."

She ran her teeth along her bottom lip before sighing and turning away, "Let's go."

\-----

The walk wasn't as bad as Yena expected, mainly because Wonho did most of the talking without forcing her to reciprocate. She felt nervous at first, being with someone she didn't know, alone, where no one could really hear her scream, but a minute into his story telling and the concern was long gone.

He was as talkative as he was cheerful.

He talked briefly about his job and his friends who he lived with nearby and everything was fine until he said something weird.

"Are you sure I don't know you?" Wonho asked while looking at her.

Yena's footsteps didn't stutter as she glanced at him from the side of her eye, "I'm almost positive. Why do you keep asking me that? Are we supposed to know each other?"

Wonho squinted his eyes at her and tapped his finger on his chin before letting his shoulders drop, "I don't know. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't forget a face like yours."

"Nice one." She said sardonically.

Wonho clucked his tongue, "Your face just looks familiar. I just can't place it."

She rolled her eyes as they slowly reached the end of her street.

"Well, this is me." She said plainly pointing at it. "I hope wasting that IOU was worth it."

He grinned, unphased by her bored demeanour, "You really underestimate the value of your presence, Red."

Yena sighed and turned away, "Goodnight, Wonho."

"Goodnight, Red. And if you ever need someone to walk you home at night, you know where I'll be lurking." He called out as she walked away.

"I'll keep that in mind." She called out noncommittally as disappeared down the road. 

Wonho tilted his head, watching her small figure before turning around and heading back to his own place with a barely noticeable smile on his lips.

_Things just got infinitely more interesting._

\-----

After hiding her snacks in the back of her closet in empty shopping bags, Yena got ready for bed and crawled under the sheets.

She turned her head and stared at the empty space next to her. She stretched her hand out and smoothed down the cool sheets, her diamond engagement ring catching the moonlight beautifully.

So much craziness had transpired in less than 24 hours.

She hit a biker, dented her car, got it fixed and met a strange, happy, clingy man who seemed to get on her nerves way too quickly for a woman who had mastered the art in being a polite, calm, lady like fiancée. 

It felt strange that Namjoon, who had always been hovering over her every move, managed to remain unaware of so much happening.

She felt like she was lying to him, that she was hiding a huge secret from him.

But oddly enough, despite how she felt, it wasn't bad enough to stop her from falling into a peaceful guiltless sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

"What have you been eating?"

Yena stilled, halfway down the stairs the next morning, her heart racing as she thought about the snacks she had hidden in the back of her closet.

Did he find them?

She looked at Namjoon who was watching her from the foyer, "Um, the regular…why?"

"You've put on weight. Go to the gym at least once a week, the gala is coming up soon." He said emotionlessly as he buttoned his cuffs.

Yena's bottom lip jutted out an inch as her palm inconspicuously rubbed at her stomach. She didn't think she had put on that much weight, she already did go to the gym once a week and she ate relatively healthy.

But Namjoon probably saw what she didn't, the sides and angles of her body that weren't as flattering as she thought. She had read a report that people see themselves as 10 times more attractive that they actually were.

He glanced up at her, raised a brow and smiled pleasantly, although his eyes didn't read the same, "I'm just looking out for you, Yena. Some of the other women attending the gala are top models and actress who took part in our promotional campaigns. I wouldn't want you to feel inferior or out of place when you stand next to them since they're all wildly popular for being beauties."

Yena chewed on her lip as her brows knit together, maybe she _had_ been snacking too much and she just didn't pay enough attention to notice. But her clothes all still fit fine, but maybe she was just tricking herself into thinking that.

And she was nowhere _close_ to some of the celebrities features on the Kim Corporation's ads.

She didn't want to make Namjoon look bad by being with someone who didn't hold up to his own praised looks. She wanted to make him proud to call her his fiancée and show her off to everyone and anyone.

He walked over to her and kissed her cheek but his lips barely even touched her skin, "And I know how upset you get when you see those articles about how I should be engaged to one of our company's models instead of you. I'm just looking out for you and you should take my word because no one else will tell you the truth to your face like I do. Everyone else is just two faced and will lie through their teeth to get something from you."

"Right." She said softly, giving her stomach one more look, "I'll work on it. Thank you."

"Also…we should pick a wedding date. It's been 2 years." He said abruptly while walking away from her to slip on his shoes.

Yena's lips quirked up, forgetting his comment about her weight, "Really? Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't have said it if I wasn't sure." He said as he frowned at her.

She held down the smile and twisted her fingers together, "Well we should pi--"

"Just pick a date and email it to my assistant." He said as he glanced at his phone, "I'll be back late. Don't wait up."

And like that, he was out the door and gone.

\-----

"Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. This is _happening!"_ Airin squealed as the two women convened in the teacher's lounge.

Yena had tried keeping her poised composure but couldn't stop bouncing on her heels, "This. Is. Happening."

"What dates have you been thinking about?" Airin asked as she blew gently on her cup of tea.

Yena looked down at her feet, "I wanted a summer wedding but our anniversary is in the spring, so hopefully we'll pick a date around then."

"What date does Mr.Kim want?" Airin teased while wiggling her brows.

Yena's smile stayed frozen, "He didn't really have a preference."

"Well that just means more power goes to you!" Airin snickered without missing a beat. "Have you looked at dresses?"

Yena's lips tilted down, "Not really. In fact, I haven't really done anything about the wedding. Plus, I don't think I'm going to be doing any dress shopping until I drop a few."

Airin choked on her tea before groaning when a bit went up her nose. She pinched the bridge of her nose and winced before glaring at Yena.

"Drop a few? Bitch, are you insane? You look amazing." Airin voice came out nasally until she let go of her nose.

Yena scratched the back of her head, "Yeah but…it couldn't hurt."

"If you lose any more weight, you'll have nothing to flaunt on your honeymoon." Airin tutted.

Yena chewed on her lip in thought, "But Namjoon pointed ou--"

" _He_ told you, you were fat?" Airin said, stunned.

Yena felt a lump grown in her throat when she saw the distasteful look on her face. A wave of protectiveness wash over her. "He didn't call me fat. He just reminded me to eat healthy."

"Oh." Airin said quietly, "I guess he's right but you really don't need to lose anymore."

Yena nodded with a tight smile and changed the subject, "If I send you an invite will you come?"

"Uh….obviously!" Airin exclaimed excitedly.

A cough interrupted them and they both turned to see a handsome man standing by the door with flowers, "Sorry to cut in bu--"

"BABY!"

Yena was shocked when Airin screamed and launched into the arms of the man, nearly knocking him off his feet as he stumbled back.

"What are you doing here?" She squealed whiling hugging him.

The man chuckled and kissed the side of her head, "I wanted to surprise you. I'm guessing it worked. These are for you and might I add you look stunning, hon."

Airin cooed as she sniffed the flowers, making Yena smile. They were an adorable couple, they had been dating for over a year and they were still stupidly in love with each other. They were like giddy teenagers. 

He looked over at Yena and smiled, "It's nice to see you Ms. Ahn."

"Oh, Yena is fine." She said with a polite smile while shuffling to the door. "I'll let you guys have some privacy, I have some pop quizzes to mark."

Yena was on her way to her classroom when she questioned the twisting sensation in her gut that felt a lot like envy.

\-----

_"I'm sorry. I'm sorry this is how it happened. I'm sorry this is what I'm choosing to do, but this is the only way for me to be happy. And that's what you want, right? For me to be happy."_

_"Don't worry, baby. We're all together. It'll be okay. Just close your eyes and hold your breath, it'll be okay."_

_"It'll be okay."_

Wonho shot up in his bed with a loud gasp, his body covered in sweat yet he shivered neurotically. He was a shaking mess as he gripped his bed spread and tried to squeeze his eyes shut tight enough until the soft voices were scrubbed from his mind.

Not again.

He groaned and rubbed his face tiredly. "Shit." He cursed under his breath as his heart started to slow down to a comfortable pace.

It had been so long since those memories resurfaced. He thought he was over it and that they would stop invading his mind when he slept. Everything else about him had healed and he had been sleeping just find until tonight.

He glanced over at his clock and let out a louder groan as he flopped backwards onto his mattress.

He was late.

_Fuck._

Sighing, he whipped off his sheets and sped through his morning routine before racing out of his room. He didn't have time to dwell.

"Take an apple." Hyungwon called simply as he threw the fruit at his friend.

Wonho glared at him but caught it with ease as he shoved his feet into his boots, "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"You're a grown ass man. I'm not your mother."

Wonho rolled his eyes and looked at the other shoes, "Who's home?"

"Umm, Kihyun and Jooh--"

"Tell Joo that I'm taking his keys." Wonho shouted as he grabbed them off the counter and ran out the door. 

\-----

"You're a mess." Mr. Jung pointed out when he saw his right hand man come skidding into the shop with sweat dripping down his bangs.

Wonho nodded frantically while trying to catch his breath, "I know. I know. I'm late. I slept in. I'm sorry."

Jung leaned against a hood of a car and crossed his arms over his chest, "You're never late."

"So dock my pay." Wonho said while wiping his sweat.

His boss chuckled, "Not the point. Everything okay on the home front?"

Wonho stilled, his heart sinking a fraction before he sighed, letting go of any dark thoughts, a technique he grew accustomed to, and smiled. "All good."

"Great." Jung said before walking towards him, "So do you want to give me an explanation for why I have a customer coming in for a bumper replacement and leaving with over 2.5K worth of upgrades for free?"

Wonho grinned and patted Jung on the back before walking to his office, "It's called superb customer service, boss man."

\-----

That evening, Yena adjusted her ear buds and continued jogging down the street. Instead of going out for her regular short nightly walk, she had decided on going to go for a run to get in some extra exercise.

She figured that she could use the workout.

She jogged down the path of the park, grateful that the flood lights were turned on earlier than the night before.

Just as she turned the corner, her footsteps scraped to a stop as she stared at the figure a few feet in front of her.

He was there again.

She chewed on the inside of her cheek and took half a step back when she spotted Wonho sitting on top of a bench with a cigarette smoking between his lips and a lighter that he was flicking on and off mindlessly. His head was tilted down and it made his bangs fall forward, veiling his eyes, intimidating her as he watched the flame come to life before letting it die.

He was wearing dark jeans and a dark blue fitted hoodie, allowing him to blend perfectly into the night despite the harsh floodlights. The only thing exposing his position was the burning dot of his cigarette and the flame in his hand. 

She never found him intimidating before, but today something about him made her feel nervous. Just as she was about to turn away and act like she had never seen him, Wonho looked up and turned his head towards her, locking eyes with her own.

Her breath caught when the shadows of the night cut across his face dangerously as he surveyed her. She could see the moment of confusion in his eyes as he stared at her, as if he didn't understand what she was doing there or who she was.

And in a second, it was gone and replaced with a grin, a teasing glint and a lit cigarette.

"Hey there, Red." He drawled as he leaned back to watch her contemplate what to do.

She watched him cautiously before her pride kicked in. She wasn't going to turn and run away like a coward, he didn't have that much power over her. The park was free for everyone and if she wanted to run through it, she damn well will.

She wasn't going to let him scare her off.

Holding her head high, she picked back her pace and kept her gaze forward before running straight passed him. She could feel his eyes silently tracking her as she moved by him but made no attempt to speak or stop her.

_Was it that easy?_

_Was he going to leave her alo--_

"The last time I saw you, I made fun of you for being an Olympic runner, looks like my dream came true. I can die happy now." Wonho said when he appeared next to her, his cigarette no longer in his mouth.

Yena screamed and slapped her hand over her heart when she saw him. She ripped her earphones out of her ears and just stare at him incredulously. He just blinked at her innocently and continued to run alongside her.

"Why are you slowing down? I thought you were going for a jog?" He asked sweetly.

Yena gaped at him, "Wh-…What are you doing?"

"Running with you?"

She scoffed and stepped back, "In jea--" Her words died when she looked at his legs and realized he was wearing sweatpants and sneakers.

_Damn it._

"I've been hanging at this park every night for last few years and I've never seen you cut through it before and now it's been twice in a week. I must've saved a nation in my past life." He said while watching the unamused expression on her face.

She crossed her arms over her chest, "I came here once before in the daytime, I liked it and I remembered the path and decided to use it."

"You remembered a path after walking down it once?" He asked, causing her to twitch in irritation.

She raised her brow and he had to admit, he was entranced.

She was a fiery one.

He wondered how hot she burned.

"It's easy to remember the things you like." She said seriously.

He grinned and tilted his head cutely, "I guess that's why I remember you all the time."

"You have to have the last word, don't you?" She muttered through her teeth.

He laughed effortlessly, "I just want to make sure that my voice is the last thing you hear."

"I'm going to go on my run. Excuse me." She said frustratingly.

"After you." He offered with a lopsided grin.

She frowned and refused to move, "I'm not going anywhere with you. I came out here to go for a jog on my own."

"Okay, how about this? We'll say that I _also_ came out here for a run and I just happened to be running in the same direction as you and at the same speed." He said as if it was a logical compromise.

She took in a deep breath and clenched her fists by her side, prepared to snap at him when she remembered who she was.

Or who she was married to.

She couldn't cause a scene and she sure as hell couldn't curse a stranger out. A stranger that could rat her out online and spread all sorts of rumours. The court of public opinion was still out on her ever since Namjoon annouced their engagement. They expected a celebrity or an heiress, not a private school teacher. She was at the public's mercy and she couldn't risk anything that would make them dislike her. She couldn't do that to Namjoon and burden him even more.

"I'm quite busy right now. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to go on a run…alone." She said calmly while releasing her clenched fists.

Wonho raised his brow in intrigue, he had at least expected her to raise her voice or glare at him, "You have a really high tolerance for the people you dislike, don't you?"

"And you are quite persistent, aren't you?" She fired back on instinct.

His small grin grew into a bright one as he licked his lips and nodded, "Fair enough. You said no and I'll respect that. Have a good run, Red."

"Are you sure?" She asked suspiciously, not trusting how easy he gave in.

His lips split, revealing his straight teeth and blinding smile. _Why was he always so goddamn happy?_

It was like he didn't have a worry in the world.

 _It must be nice being him_ , she thought bitterly as she watched his eyes move across her face.

"Trust me, I'm a man of my word."

\-----

Yena let out a breath and continued on her run, moving further and further away from Wonho. She let out a soft hum as she played her music and let it echo in her ears as her feet pumped furiously against the ground with purpose.

She let out methodical breaths as the cold air nipped at the sweat that was forming on her forehead. She jogged under a wooden bridge when she noticed a figure on the other side. His head was down and he was staring in her direction without moving, she felt her steps slow down a fraction and her skin grow hot in a panicked sweat. Her heart was beating in her ears but she forced herself to continue running forward, speeding up a little more than she needed to. 

"Ma'am?" The man asked, reaching out for her.

Yena's heart jumped in terror as she swiftly dodged the man's hand before it could touch her and continued to jogging. Her vision was getting hazy and her flashes of faded memories blinded her eyes as she tried to keep herself together and run on.

"HEY! I was fucking talking to you!"

She felt his hand on her elbow and she used a bit more force to rip her arm away before breaking out into a panicked run, her heart racing in fear and her eyes glazing over.

 _Run. Run. RUN!_ She screamed in her head as blood rushed to her head.

This wasn't happening. 

Not to her. 

Not again. 

"You fucking bitch."

And before she could scream, a hand came over her mouth and pushed her to the ground.

\-----

Wonho stayed back and watched Yena jog, a small smile creeping up his lips. He didn't know why he was so fascinated with this woman or why he even bothered to talk to her after fixing her car, but he found himself enjoying her limited company.

She was an enigma and he had always been attracted to puzzles.

Yeah, she was attractive, but he knew his boundaries, she was engaged and he was fine with that, he wasn't about to try to make a move on her or anything. He just got a bit of a kick watching her repress her anger and irritation every time she saw him. To be honest, he wasn't even sure what it was about him that got her so annoyed, but he was curious to see what she'd be like when he finally got her to unleash her wrath on him.

And if she was going to cross his path this many times, he might as well make a new friend out of it.

Wonho was about to turn away and head back home when he froze, his eyes narrowing when he saw another man follow Yena from behind, keeping a sizable distance.

His eyes landed on the man's baseball cap and he felt his blood run cold.

_Oh shit._

\-----

Yena screamed behind the man's palm, fighting off his other hand that was reaching for her shirt. Her eyes were spilling tears and scratches were forming on her elbows as they scraped against the cement, but she just wasn't strong enough.

She never was.

Her throat was sore and her eyes were glued shut, too scared to look her assailant in the eyes when suddenly, she felt lighter.

The weight that was on top of her was gone.

She let out a loud gasp, trying to catch her breath and pushed herself up on her palms to find Wonho sitting on top of the man with his arm trapped between Wonho's legs. The man screaming in pain as Wonho twisted his arm on purpose before looking up to meet her face.

He was out of breath and had a slight darkness and menace in his eyes that she had never seen before but he still gave her a flirty grin.

"Aren't you glad I didn't stick to my word this _one_ time?"

\-----

Wonho walked back to Yena after giving his statement to the police and found her shivering against a tree. He said nothing when he saw how furiously her body was shaking, almost like she was vibrating. He could hear raspy whimpers escape her lips as her eyes darted around in panic. Something felt really wrong about the way she was reacting but he didn't want to pry, not when he knew how scary the whole ordeal would've been on her.

She was reacting normally…right?

"I'd offer you my sweater but you might think I'm coming onto you." He teased while leaning against the tree next to her.

Yena kept her eyes on the ground and forced herself not to cry, but a sniffled still escaped. Wonho glanced over at her and pursed his lips, something was _very_ wrong with her, he could tell. She looked like she was on the verge of a panic attack. Like she was about to collapse, but what exactly was he supposed to say?

He reached out to touch her but dropped his hand and shoved it into his pockets before he could make contact.

'"Are you going to be okay?" He asked, his voice uncharacteristically soft and serious.

She hugged herself and nodded quickly, "I'll be fine. Nothing happened to me thankfully. So I have no reason to be upset. I'm fine."

He tilted his head in confusion when he heard her hysterical voice, "Um…that's not really how it works. Just because he didn't go through with his attack doesn't mean that you aren't allowed to be upset." He said incredulously. "You were attacked, you're allowed to be _a little_ shaken up. It's human nature."

"I'm fine." She whispered shakily.

Wonho stared at her seriously before moving his gaze forward, "Well, I'm glad you're safe."

"Why?" She asked while looking up at him.

He shrugged, "Because no one deserves to be hurt like that. Friend or not. I'm actually kind of pissed it happened but I'm trying to be charming and light hearted about it so you don't get overwhelmed." His serious face turned light as he grinned cheekily, "Aren't I thoughtful?"

"Thank you." She breathed out while tracing the profile of his face with her eyes. "T-Thank you so much for coming after me."

He smiled slightly and rolled his head to the side to look at her, choosing not to make a comment about her sudden change in character, "Anytime, Red."

"I owe you." She blurted out.

He raised his brow in amusement, "The tables have turned, huh? Never thought I'd hear you say that."

"I do. I owe you." She said earnestly.

He stared at her, entranced by the way her neck curved and her eyes burned and the way her hair looked like it was dusted in cinnamon.

It was strange how her whole demeanour changed from still and cold to warm and welcoming.

Strange indeed.

"Do you want to go for that dinner? I'll buy." She asked, reminded of his first offer.

His smile grew wider and he shook his head, "No."

"Then what?" She asked with a frown.

He studied her face before inching towards her, "Let's make a deal. The next time you decide to be a night owl and come out by yourself, find me. We can hang out together."

"What?" She asked in surprise.

He slipped her phone out from her sweater pocket and dialled in his number pressed dial before holding up his own to show her the screen with her number on it.

"I come out here every night at 10 for a smoke. Next time you want to come out alone, call me so that you're _not_ alone." He said simply before handing her phone back to her.

Her frown appeared, "I don't need you protecting me."

He gave her a flabbergasted look, "Protecting _you?_ No, I need you to protect me from the scary people that come out at night. Do you know how many ladies try to hit on me this late at night? They see me smoking, dressed all in black and think I'm some sort of bad boy. But I'm just a tender little, sweet soul. I need you to beat up anyone who tries to snatch me up."

Her lips twitched up as she looked down at her phone before sighing wearily, "Fine. You wore me down."

His eyes sparkled, genuinely surprised she caved, "Then we have a deal. Good. Now, you should let one of the cops drive you home, Red. It's getting late and I think you need a hot shower and a long nap." He said while pushing himself off of the tree.

She watched him inch away, "What about you?"

"I live close by and I like to walk." He said simply as he started walking backwards so he could still face her and talk to her.

She raised her brow and watched him move away from her, "Are you saying that because I ruined your bike and you actually have no other way to get home?"

"Good lord. Looks like Little Red knows how to crack a joke after all. If you're not careful, I might fall in love with you and steal you away from your amazing fiancé."

\-----

"You're home, early." She said, surprised when she found Namjoon waiting by the door.

His face was stone cold as he glowered at her, "Where have you been? It's past midnight."

"I was out for a run." She said while gesturing to her attire.

He scanned her figure, taking in her running clothes and the sweat on her face and nodded, "Good."

"Namjoon." She whimpered, her breath shaking as she took a step towards him.

He glanced at her and raised a brow, signalling for her to talk.

"S-Someone tried to assault me at the park tonight." She admitted, her voice quaking. She kept her eyes on him, to see what he'd say.

Namjoon froze before looking at her, his eyes wide, "What?"

She squeezed her fists tightly, "Some man tried to attack me when I ran through the park."

"Did you go to the police?" He asked hastily stepping up to her.

She smiled slightly, her heart warming at the concern in his voice, it reminded her of the past, "Yeah, someone saved me and apprehended the guy and we called the police an-"

"Did you give an official statement?" He said, cutting her off abruptly.

She nodded, the previous distress lifting from her heart, "Yeah, the officers were so ni--"

"Did you use your real name?"

Her smile started to melt into a look of confusion, "Of course, why wouldn't I?"

"God damn it, Yena. Now they have it on record, if one of my rivals or some tabloid saw you going into a police station or if they got their hands on that statement, it could cause a huge mess. Damn it! What were you thinking?" He exploded, his hands thrown up in the air.

Yena's eyes were wide in astonishment as she stared at him dumbly. This was _not_ happening and he did _not_ just say that, "N-Namjoon, are you being serious? I got attacked and _that's_ your biggest concern?"

"The last thing I need is the tabloids seeing you go into a police station _without_ me and start spreading rumours about me hurting you or me doing something illegal." He hissed, his eyes burning in a type of rage she had never seen before.

She looked gobsmacked, "Why would anyone think any of those things about you?"

"You don't know the type of people who are trying to ruin me in this industry. They'll take any small thing and twist it to make _me_ the villain. There are competitors who are willing to do anything to take me down and ruin my name and my father's business. You need to be smarter than this." He heaved out.

She took a step towards him, "I think you're being paranoid."

He gave her a dubious look before scoffing, "What would you know about my life? You're just a goddamn elementary school teacher."

Yena felt like she was slapped across the face at the venom laced in his tone mixed with the condescending tension in his words.

_Just a teacher._

It was like her words died in her throat and tears filled her eyes.

"Why would you even go jogging at night? How stupid are you? A young woman going jogging alone at night, people will just start saying that you deserved it." He boomed for the first time in their conversation.

"I-I'm sorry." She whimpered out with her head down, trying not to seem to overtly scared of his raised voice. 

Namjoon sighed and walked over to her and tilted her chin up so she looked at him, "If something were to happen to you, do you think anyone would be kind to you about it? I've given you a comfortable life, Yena, but in the real world, they'd rip you to shreds. They'd say that you were _tainted_ and _unpure._ No one would want to love you and be with you, but I do. I will always be with you and after what happened the _first time_ , you should know that no one would want to be with someone like you other than me."

"But I--"

"I'm positive that I've supplied you with the luxury life that you've always dreamed of, so please do me a favour and try to stay away from doing anything that will cause a scandal, will you?"

Her eye brows knit in discomfort, "I understand but I didn't as-"

He leaned forward so that their noses were touching, his eyes slightly dark, "I hope you're grateful for all that I've given you and that you understand why I'm so upset with you."

She darted her eyes back and forth between his, trying to form her next sentence before her shoulders sagged and the look in her eye dulled.

"I do." She whispered while looking at the ground, "I'm sorry."

"Good, I'm glad you see what you did wrong. Apology accepted." He said while releasing her chin and walking away towards the stairs.

She let out a stuttering breath before looking at him desperately, "Don't _you_ care at all about how I am?"

He stopped midway up the stairs and turned to her, watching her from above like a master looking down on his servants, "How are you?"

"I--" She paused, slightly taken aback that he actually cared to ask.

_I'm scared._

_I feel disgusting._

_I'm shaking._

_I want to cry._

_I want someone to tell me it's okay._

_I want someone to get mad on my behalf._

_I want to feel protected._

_I want to feel lov--_

"I'm fine." 


	6. Chapter 6

Yena stared at her phone the next morning and just let out a stunned laugh. This wasn't exactly what she was expected to see when she woke up.

**Did you sleep well, Red?**

**-WH**

She contemplated just ignoring the message but her fingers moved swiftly across her screen.

**Fine, thank you.**

**-AY**

Her eyes widened when a response was shot back without hesitation.

**Did you dream about me? It's completely natural if you did, don't be ashamed.**

**-WH**

A scoff escaped her lips as she rolled her eyes.

**Don't you have a car to fix or something?**

**-AY**

She could almost hear his grin when she read his next text.

**I'd miss a lot more than work to talk to you, Red. What can I say? I'm weak for pretty, engaged women.**

**-WH**

She frowned at his flirty words and slowly typed out her response.

**You flirt too much. It's not the greatest trait in the world. In fact, it's making me regret letting you take my number.**

**-AY**

There was a brief pause before his reply came to her.

**Fair enough. Are you planning on roaming the streets tonight?**

**-WH**

She wasn't sure what to say, she was really grateful for him coming to her rescue the night before and had mindlessly agreed to let him tag along whenever she went out but now she was starting to feel regret. It didn't feel right that she spend so much time alone with another man and if anyone she knew saw her, Namjoon would be livid and it could create a lot of unnecessary rumours. And part of her still didn't know what to make of Wonho. She was grateful for everything he's done for her in such a short period of time, but she still felt cautious about trusting him and being around him.

_"I'm the only one you should trust. Everyone else will lie through their teeth to get something from you."_

Maybe he was right.

It didn't make sense that a guy she met only a few days ago would be so friendly to her after barely even knowing her. It just didn't sit right with her.But at the same time she didn't want to stay at home all day, going for night walks was the best part of her day. She walked across the living room and into the kitchen, her eyes glued to her phone, trying to figure out an appropriate reply, when her eyes flickered up to the kitchen counter. 

She froze when she noticed a glass vase filled with tulips sitting on the counter, she inched closer and found a small card stuck to the ribbon that was tied around the glass. She pulled the card off and opened it, reading the short message.

**I called in and told the school you were sick. Take the day off.**

**-Kim. N**

Her lips twitched up into a blissful smile as she reached out and touched the pretty pink petals of the cold tulips.

When was the last time a man had got her flowers?

Sure, she was a little upset that he had called in sick for her but it was the thought that counted and the fact that he went out of his way to do something nice for her, warmed her up. Namjoon had become increasingly busy and stressed lately but knowing that he still remembered, meant everything to her.

Any previous insecurities she had melted away as she let out a sigh. Hyejin was wrong, 10 years down the road, she knew her relationship would be a solid one.

Feeling a bit more hop in her step and with Wonho's text messages long forgotten, Yena jogged up to her room and quickly got changed before grabbing her purse. She was feeling good and wanted to go out and enjoy the day.

She was going to enjoy herself.

\------

Wonho glanced at his phone and saw that Yena had still not replied before tucking it into his pocket and walking to his office with his helmet tucked under his arm.

He probably annoyed her to death.

Wonho snorted to himself as he nodded at some of the other mechanics. He considered himself to be a rather friendly person but he didn't think he had ever gotten that close to someone in such a short time before.

It was new and entirely too much fun.

Especially someone like Yena who looked like she was going to blow a gasket every time she saw him and yet would always keep her cool.

He pulled the sleeves of his sweater down his arms, over the piece of gauze that was wrapped snugly around his arm before taking his key out of his pocket and using it to unlock his office door.

Flicking the light on, he closed the door behind him and walked to his desk, setting his helmet down. His eyes narrowed when he found a large manila envelope poking out between the rest of his mail.

He pulled it out of the pile and turned it over, scanning over the return address before his eyes darkened with a suppressed rage.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me." He growled under his breath.

He pulled his keys out and used the one to his bike to slice the top of the envelope open. He pulled the contents out and scanned the first few lines before his brow twitched in irritation. Without wasting a second, he turned on the shredder next to his desk and fed the papers through. 

While the documents were being shredded, he stared at the envelope before gritting his teeth and whipping it across the room angrily. He panted angrily before collapsing weakly in his chair, closing his eyes while tilting his head back.

Why was every shitty thing happening to him at once?

He sat up and glanced at the door before quickly pushing his sleeve up his arm and briskly unwrapped the gauze around his arm. He let the fabric tumble onto his lap before he surveyed his arm carefully. He brushed his fingers against the smooth skin and fisted his hand, squeezing it tightly so that his arm flexed.

Wonho watched as the veins stuck out in his arm and followed the thin paths with his eyes until he landed on the base of his wrist. He stared, enthralled almost, before sighing and unclenching his fist, letting his arm relax.

_"You're my best friend and you know that I'd do anything for you, right?"_

Wonho hissed and closed his eyes shut before rubbing them furiously. These memories hadn't entered his mind for a year and suddenly they were all flooding back to him in one large crashing wave.

Why now? And why all at once?

"Ugh, maybe I need to see a shrink." He muttered under his breath as he opened his eyes and looked blankly around his office.

He had been fine all this time but he had gotten better. He had gotten stronger and breaking him wasn't as easy as it used to be.

Second chances taught him that.

Suddenly his door swung open and Mr.Jung stuck his head into the room, "Shin are you busy? Your 10 o'clock came in early."

"No, I'm not busy at all."

\-----

Yena hadn't felt this absolutely elated in what felt like _decades._

She felt like those girls in the movies who walk down the street with a cheerful pop song playing in the background as they skip down the sidewalk with the warm breeze flowing through their hair while they spin around in happy circles.

There was an evident pep in her step as she walked down the street with a fruity drink in her hand as she walked passed different boutiques, window shopping. She had a few bags dangling off her arm as she scanned the different outfits and dresses hanging beautifully on mannequins.

Of course, she couldn't exactly buy a lot without Namjoon's approval, but she splurged a bit and purchased a few blouses and accessories that she'd figure he wouldn't notice as being new. Her feet came to a stop as she lingered in front of a bridal boutique.

Her heart did a small jump as she eyed the luxurious gown that was hanging off a gold mannequin. It had a tight bodice with a waterfall of tulle and silk pouring out from the waist down.

In a few months, that was going to be her. She was going to be in a shop similar to the one in front of her, trying on dresses with her bridal party, all of them slightly tipsy off of champagne as she tried to find _the one_.

On a whim, she entered the shop and was immediately hit with a strong fragrance.

"Oh! Hello, welcome to Vows!" The cheerful employee quipped when she saw Yena standing by the door.

Yena smiled and gave her a slight bow. The woman ran over to her and led her further into the store, "Are you here to look for a wedding dress or dresses for your bridal party or an engagement dress or--"

"I'm just browsing." Yena interjecting, cutting the woman's rant off. "I haven't really started the planning portion of the wedding."

The woman clapped her hands, "Ohh! Still exciting, isn't it?"

"Of course." Yena said, grinning.

"When is your big day?"

Yena shifted awkwardly as she kept her eyes averted, "We haven't really picked a date but I'm aiming for a spring wedding."

The woman's smile faltered a bit before she regained her professional cheer, "What the bride wants, the bride gets, amiright?"

Yena exchanged a half hearted laugh as she looked around. Sensing her discomfort the woman rested her hand on Yena's arm.

"I'll let you browse, let me know if you need any assistant or want a changing room." She said before letting Yena wander on her own.

Yena moved slowly down the racks, she wasn't actively shifting through the dresses, but every now and then, she'd reach out and brush her fingers along the fluffy, white fabric. She hadn't realized how many types of dresses existed, it was almost overwhelming.

But it excited her to know that she would be wearing one of these _hundreds_ of gowns.

She finally reached the back of the store and stepped through the archway, leading to the separate part of the store. She looked around the room before the apples of her cheeks and the shell of her ears turned bright red.

Lingerie.

She considered walking back into the dress portion of the store, but curiosity got the best of her as she stepped into the back. She had her own small collection of lingerie at home, nothing too extravagant, but still painfully expensive.

She had some with a few trims of lace but nothing like the ones on display here. There were pieces with garters, made entirely of lace and had more straps than she knew how to work.

Her eyes landed on a pair with red and white lace and chewed on her lip as she touched the soft mesh. She ran her teeth against her lip as she contemplated.

\-----

"What is up your ass, today?" LP asked as he stood by Wonho's office.

Wonho quirked his brow as he stared at the invoices in front of him, "What are you talking about?"

"You didn't crack a single joke all day and I saw you kick a wheel on a customer's car out of frustration." The younger mechanic pointed out.

Wonho put away his things and picked up his helmet before heading to the door, "Shouldn't you be worrying about other things?"

"You're basically my boss, though." He replied.

Wonho clucked his tongue and walked towards his bike with LP in tow, "But not really."

"Look, I'm just trying to be nice." LP said with a pout.

Wonho sighed and turned to the kid before tilting his head, "Everyone has bad days man. I'm an adult, I throw a small fit and then I get over it. I move on."

"See? I wish I was like that. You let things go so easily. I hold grudges for _ever_."

Wonho turned back to his bike and swung his leg over it, "I used to be like that too before I realized how short life really is."

\-----

"What's going on?" Wonho asked when he came through the door to see everyone crowding around Shownu who looked like he wanted to jump off a cliff.

Minhyuk turned to him and pointed at the eldest, "He has a girlfriend!"

"No freaking way." Wonho said with a glint in his eyes and a smirk on his lip as he strode over to the group.

Hyungwon tossed a newspaper at the mechanic, who caught it with ease and turned to the front page where a grainy picture of Shownu putting his blazer around a woman as they stood in the middle of the sidewalk.

_Heir of Son Law Firm dating Heiress A?_

Shownu rubbed his eyes, "She's not my girlfriend. I was just being nice. She's a friend."

"Who's a girl!" Jooheon shrieked.

Changkyun tilted his head, "Is she pretty?"

"Is she rich?" Minhyuk chipped in.

Kihyun nudged Minhyuk's shoulder, "It says _Heiress A._ If she's an heiress she has to be rich, right?"

Shownu covered his head with his hands, "Oh my god."

"If she's your friend how come we've never heard about her?" Wonho pointed out.

Shownu lifted his head and glared at him, "Not you, too."

"Look, I'm just saying that it's _pretttyyy_ suspicious that you didn't mention her before and the only time we've ever heard about her is when you're in a scandal." Hyungwon said defensively.

"Speaking of which, what did your dad say when he saw it?" Minhyuk asked. 

Shownu frowned, "He laughed and told me that it was about time I did something like this. He thought I was growing up _too boring_ ."

Wonho tossed the newspaper on the table and crossed his arms with a smirk, "Looks like the old man has been getting busy."

"You all suck. I should evict you all." He muttered.

Everyone snickered, knowing that the eldest didn't have the heart to actually kick them out.

"By the way, why are you so late? It's almost 9. Were you at work this whole time?" Kihyun asked while turning to Wonho.

He shrugged nonchalantly, "I had more customers than normal, we ran late."

"LP said you were in a mood." Changkyun said innocently.

Wonho made a face as he headed to his room, "Why are you two even friends?"

Hyungwon stood from his seat and knit his brows, "Did they try and contact you again?"

Wonho stiffened and froze with his hand on his door. Everyone fell silent when they saw his reaction and the teasing air, filled with tension.

"Again? Are you serious?" Changkyun asked softly, his voice filled with sadness. "Why won't they just leave you alone?"

Wonho swallowed the lump down his throat and turned to his friends and sighed, "It's okay. I should've expected it sooner or later. They won't just let me go that easily."

"They're the ones who fucked up, why are they coming after you so hard? They should be at your feet." Jooheon muttered under his breath.

"I'm sure we can sue them." Shownu spoke up, "Either because of emotional damages or at least for harassment."

Wonho shook his head, "It hasn't got to that just yet."

Kihyun chewed on his lip, "But what if you start again?"

"I won't and I'm not. You _know_ that." Wonho said sharply, his voice hard and determined.

Everyone fell silent and watched Wonho's shoulders sag. He ran a hand through his hair and opened his door, "I'm going for a smoke. I'll be back."

\-----

Yena spent the rest of the day just walking around and spent a few hours in a book store but before she knew it, the sun was setting and the chill in the air picked up.

The excitement she felt the whole day started to fade as memories of the night before filled her mind. The cops arrested the perv but that didn't mean she shouldn't be afraid. She spotted the entrance to the park a few feet ahead and slowed down to a stop.

She checked her watch, 10PM.

Technically he should already be there. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and scrolled to Wonho's contact.

_Devilishly Handsome Mechanic._

"Jesus Christ." She muttered under her breath as she quickly changed the contact name he put in for himself and replaced it with a more fitting one.

_That Guy._

Her thumb then hovered over his number and she considered calling him before she tucked her phone away. It would just feed his ego and give him the wrong idea, not to mention he'd start sticking around her more than usual if she called him once.

She was a grown ass woman, she didn't need a body guard.

She kept her head up high and sped past the entrance, not daring to even glance into the park until she spotted a matte black motorcycle parked at the entrance. 

It was his.

"He fixed it." She mumbled as she stared at the vehicle.

She inspected it, having never really seen a motorcycle up close and reached out to touch the smooth metal. She got shivers just thinking about how terrifying it must be to ride it among traffic.

"Are you thinking about getting one of your own? I have a few suggestions if you do."

Yena let out a yelp and spun around to see Wonho standing behind her, watching her with amused eyes and a teasing smirk, a lit cigarette dangling from his lips.

"What are you doing here?" She blurted out as she watched smoke curl out from his lips. He was dressed in black ripped jeans and a dark leather jacket over a sweater.

"I'm pretty sure I've told you on multiple occasions that I hang out here every day at 10. Why are you so surprised, Red?"

She cleared her throat and looked away, "I-I thought you only hung around the park."

He let the cigarette drop from his lips and put it out with his heel, "I like to move around occasionally. I also think there's a squirrel that's trying to mate with me under that tree and I'm not looking for long term commitment at the moment. Why? Were you avoiding me?" He asked with a raised brow.

Her eyes widened before she scoffed haughtily. "Of course not. I was just minding my own business. I don't care enough to go out of my way to avoid you."

"While inspecting my bike?" He challenged with a grin.

"I didn't know it was yours." She lied convincingly.

He slipped his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders up as he towered over her, "I thought we made a deal about you hanging out alone at night."

"I said I'm fine." She muttered, giving him a pointed look.

He scoffed, "Maybe you but what about me? You should've been there to fend off the female squirrel that was trying to make a move on me. You promised!"

"Fine!" She exclaimed in exasperation, making the corner of his lips twitch. She really was an enigma.

Sometimes she'd be polite and dignified but whenever he saw her at night, he'd see parts of her not-so-dignified personality seep through.

She gave him a look, "What do you want to do?"

"Whatever you want to do."

She narrowed her eyes. "I thought I was supposed to be _your_ bodyguard."

"And you are. You'll just be guarding me while you do your errands."

She had her doubts, but she held her head up and turned on her heel, with her shoulders rolled back, "I have to buy groceries."

"At 10:30?" He gaped as he stared after her.

She shot him a look over her shoulder. "Are you coming or not? Because I'm perfectly fine with leaving you here and going on my own." 

Wonho bit back his smile and jogged up to her, following her on her way.

\-----

"So, what exactly do you do for work that allows you to wander around at night?" Wonho asked as he followed her around a small supermarket while she tossed things she needed into a bag.

She shrugged without looking at him, "It has nothing to do with my job, I just like going out at night."

_Plus there are less people who might recognize me._

"So then what do you do?" He asked while staring at a row of cucumbers.

She paused, considering how much to tell him. He was still just a stranger and could very well be a reported pretending to get close to her so that he can get the next big scoop straight from her mouth.

"I'm a teacher." She said stiffly.

Wonho raised his brows, "Wow, I didn't expect that."

"What does that mean?" She asked defensively as she turned to look at him for the first time since they entered the market.

He shrugged, "I don't know, judging by how you dressed I expected you to say that you were some hotshot business woman or lawyer."

"There's nothing wrong with being a teacher. It's not the most flashy job but that's not why I do it. Do you think lawyers or business women get to teach children and help build the future of the country? Don't you think that lawyers and business people get to where they are only because of the teachers that helped them grow and learn? Without people like us, those _hotshots_ would be flipping burgers." She snapped with narrowed eyes.

Wonho's lips parted in shock before they curved up in an excited smile, "Red, I hope you realize how much you're making me fall for you right now."

"Ugh." She sneered before turning back to her cart. Her cheeks were red with humiliation, she never lost her composure like that and to see him smile at like that made her feel like she was the butt of some cruel joke that she didn't understand.

He grinned and caught up with her as she tossed another bag of vegetables inside. "I'm being serious. I always thought teachers hated their jobs, it's nice to know the children of Korea actually stand a chance because teachers like you still exist."

She grunted uninterestedly, but bloated with pride. He was damn right, she didn't want to brag, but she was proud of her work and how it affected kids.

"Man, if you were my teacher, I might've actually gone to my classes more often, Red." He chuckled.

She rolled her eyes and chose not to reply as she got distracted by a bag of carrots. He watched her for a moment before noticed some of the shopping bags in the cart, especially one small pink one.

"What'd you end up buying?"

She glanced at him before following his gaze to the small pink bag he was pointing at. Her eyes widened and the tips of her ears turned red as she spun around and quickly pushed the cart forward.

"Nothing. None of your business." She said quickly.

He blinked at her in surprise before trailing behind her, "Red, please. I thought we didn't keep secrets from each other. My heart is broken."

She rolled her eyes, at this rate her eyes were going to stay permanently rolled into the back of her head, "Why do you call me Red?"

"I think you'd look good in red, like a blazing, firey red, but you always wear the same nude colours. So I can't be sure." He said while looking at her clothes.

She was about to reply when her phone started buzzing. She pulled it out and smiled softly at the name before looking at Wonho. "Stay there."

He grinned, amused before watching her walk a few feet ahead of him to answer the call.

"Hey." She said softly while staring at her feet shyly.

"I just wanted to say I'm heading to a conference in Jeju, I won't be home until late tomorrow." Namjoon said simply.

Her smile faltered but she nodded nonetheless, "Okay, that's fine. Make sure you eat and sl--"

"I'm sort of in a rush, my flight is leaving soon, I have to go." He said distractedly.

She nodded again although he couldn't see, "Oh, okay, I'll let you go but thank you for the flowers. I never got to say so, they were beautiful."

Wonho tilted his head and watched how bashful she had become, as if she transformed into a completely different woman.

"Oh right, I told my assistant to order you some. I'll let him know that you like them. If that's it, I'll see you tomorrow." And he hung up.

Yena froze, unsure what the feeling in her stomach was as she slowly slipped her phone back into her bag. Seeing her off her phone, Wonho slid up to her.

"Was that the magnificent fiancé who stole your heart away from me?" He teased.

She didn't even look at him and pushed the cart forward, "He didn’t steal me away because I was never yours to be stolen from in the first place."

"How did the two of you meet?" He asked curiously.

She stiffened, her grip on the cart tightening, "We just met in college."

His brows knit when he heard the lack of emotion in her voice, "But like how? Don't all romance stories have a dramatic meeting when the girl and guy first meet and angels sing from the sky? For example, in our case it was when you hit me with your car. It was love at first sight."

"No, we just met in college." She said harshly, her words short and sharp.

For once Wonho was at a loss of words. Not only did she sound so disconnected, almost as if she was lying, but she made no attempt to shut down his blatant comment about _love at first sight._

Yena really was interesting to him.

On the outside she seemed so simple and easy to read but the more he talked to her, the less she made sense. The harder it was for him to pinpoint her personality. He thought she was easy to categorize, like just a typical well-groomed rich woman about to get married to the love of her life.

But she didn't seem that transparent anymore.

She was entirely too complex and hard to figure out. A question that couldn't be answered with a simple A) or B). She was a question that needed at least 2 or 3 pages just to graze the top. 

But aren't all humans that way?

\-----

After hassling Yena, Wonho had convinced her to let him carry some of her grocery bags. Their conversation had died out and the pair of them walked in silence until they reached the end of her street.

She turned to him and took all her bags from him with a brisk _thanks._

He sighed and slipped his hands into his sweater pockets, "Look, I know you really don't like hanging out with me. So I'm not going to force you to do something you hate. I already hung out with you once, we can call it even. You don't need to worry about avoiding me anymore. I'm not going to _make_ you hang out with a stranger."

She stared at him long and hard before looking away. She turned and headed to her house, walking away from him and he nodded to himself, figuring that this was probably the last time he was going to see her, but before he could walk away, she said one last thing over her shoulder that had him smiling way more that he should've.

"If I leave then who is going to protect you from all the horny squirrels?"


	7. Chapter 7

"What the hell is this?" Wonho asked with an incredulous laugh as he walked out of his bedroom the next morning to find Jooheon, Kihyun and Changkyun crowded around something.

Or rather, a little some _one_.

"My boss is making me take care of it tonight." Jooheon muttered as he stared disgustingly at the small dog that was chewing its heart out on a rubber bone. "Why couldn't she just own a cat instead?"

Kihyun scoffed and crouched down before petting the small animal, "Well I think it's adorable."

"Great! Then you can look after it today." Jooheon said while holding out the pup's leash.

"Did I say adorable? I meant it's a monstrosity. It's hideous, get it out of here." He said quickly before darting into his room, slamming the door shut.

Jooheon turned to Changkyun but the boy already had his hands up before inching to his backpack, "Sorry, unless libraries start letting pets hang out in the Reference aisles, he's not coming with me."

Wonho walked up to the pooch and tilted his head as he sized the spotted animal up, "If it's your boss's dog then shouldn't you just take him to work?"

"I can't, I'm running errands all day and I can't leave this thing in the office unless I want to get fired." He whined childishly.

Wonho made a face and watched the dog drop its bone to chew on his sock. "If you want I can-"

"YES. YES. YES!" Jooheon leaped over to Wonho and planted a big kiss on his cheek, "I owe you so big. Thank you!"

Wonho laughed and watched him run out the door with his keys and jacket before kneeling down to lift the dog up. "I guess it's just you and me, buddy."

\-----

"When I pointed out that you didn't seem like yourself earlier, I didn't think this would be your response. Seems a bit drastic, doesn't it?"

Wonho grinned at LP who was standing in front of the car he was currently tinkering with. He was seated in the driver's seat, working on replacing some worn out brakes and the dog, whose name Wonho learned was Pluto (he figured it was a Mickey Mouse reference rather than a solar system one), was seated on the hood of the car blinking up at LP.

"I'm just looking after it." He said simply. "Plus, he's great at scaring off any unwanted disturbances, but it doesn't look like he's doing a great job getting rid of you."

"Hurtful." LP snorted while poking the dog's nose. "You have a late day?"

"Pretty much back to back." Wonho said while pulling out a screwdriver.

LP hummed distractedly, tapping his fingers against the hood of the car catching Wonho's attention, "Don't you have cars to fix? Why are you loitering around me?"

The younger one cleared his throat and scratched the back of his neck nervously before rocking on his heels, "You'd tell me if something was going on with you, right? Like, I consider us to be close friends."

"We are…" Wonho narrowed his eyes when LP continued to stumble over his words. "Just spit it out, kid."

"Some of your mail accidentally got sorted with mine earlier and I saw one of the addresses on one of them. It was from the Seoul Courthouse…is…is everything okay?"

LP's eyes widened and he took half a step back when he saw the complete change in Wonho's expression, it was unlike anything he had ever seen before. His eyes grew dark and twitched and his jaw tensed, probably the result of a clenching his teeth together.

But in a second, almost faster than the look appeared on his face, it was gone. Instead, his eyes softened and he grinned light heartedly before ruffling his bangs, "Yeah, everything's fine, don't worry about me, man and thanks for holding onto my mail, just toss it on my desk."

LP gaped at his abrupt change before frowning, "But what would the court want with you?"

"It's probably some paperwork I need to fill out or something. It's technical, I swear, so tell your imagination to chill the fuck out." Wonho teased while turning his attention back to the brake pads he was working on.

LP's face twisted in confliction as he watched his friend distract himself, "You'd tell me if something was going on, right?"

"Sure." Wonho said briskly with a tight smile, not daring to make eye contact.

LP nodded, feeling momentarily consoled before rocking on his heels, "Fine, but by the way, there's this girl I want to set you up with. She's a friend of a friend and I think you'd like her."

Wonho's smile faltered as he stopped what he was working on to stare at his friend, "I'm not looking to date."

"Come on, it's one date, what's the harm? It could be fun and to be honest, I think you seriously need to get laid." LP pointed out.

Wonho ran his tongue along his teeth before closing his eyes, "Because one date turns into two which turns into three and anything more than that is a relationship and I can't _afford_ to have a relationship. I can't afford anything other than friendship. Not now."

"But…but why? What does that even mean?" LP asked in confusion as he looked up from the dog to stare quizzically at Wonho.

Wonho peeled his eyes open and glared at the gauze wrapped around his arm, "Because any woman that I date, becomes a liability."

\-----

Being without Namjoon wasn't particularly a new event for Yena, he was often out of the house, at work or at overnight work trips. The only real times that she'd see him would be if she caught him in the morning before he went to work or a couple of times that he'd come home early, usually to take her to company events.

So it shouldn't have felt that different, him being so far away, but somehow she always managed to feel uneasy…unsafe.

There's something entirely too terrifying being alone in a house knowing that he wasn't just a couple of minutes away.

Honestly, she didn't know how she was ever able to stay alone in their house when the only sounds would be the ticking of the clock or the desperate attempts of conversation that Yena would try to pull out of the weekly cleaning lady.

She was terrified of being alone and even offering to supervise detention that day didn't distract her from the loneliness impending when she got home. Nevertheless, she kept her mouth shut and a dignified smile on her face the whole day.

Namjoon was working day and night, she had no right to complain about being able to have a nice, comfortable house and life. She knew what she was getting herself into and she just had to suck it up and take it.

But that didn't stop her footsteps from becoming heavy as she made her way across the faculty parking lot.

"There you are!"

Yena jumped and blinked at Airin who was leaning against her own car. "What are you doing here? I thought you left already."

"I did, but then a few of the girls called and wanted to grab a drink and I wanted to see if you wanted in." Airin said with a bright smile before walking up to her.

Yena gaped at her, "You waited an hour just to invite me to drinks?"

"I know, I'm amazing aren't I? So selfless." Airin said with a flourish.

Yena grinned as she loaded her belongings into her car, "You _are_ amazing, but I don't think I'll be able to make it tonight."

"What? Are you serious, why?" Airin whined while stomping her feet.

Yena tucked her hair behind her ear, "I have a lot to get done, lots of errands. I'm so sorry."

"But you said that you're fiancé isn't even in town. Can't you kick back for one day?" Airin begged.

Yena smiled but shook her head. There were too many wives of fancy businessmen that linger around the bars and restaurants that Airin liked frequenting and the last thing Yena wanted to do was have one of them see her and then let the word get back to Namjoon that his fiancée was getting drunk while he was gone, "I'm sorry, maybe next time."

Airin pouted but sighed nonetheless, "Alright fine…party pooper."

Yena chuckled and got into her car as Airin walked away. She turned on the ignition and checked her phone while her car warmed up.

_No New Messages._

Yena licked her lips before tossing her phone back into her bag. She slammed on the gas and peeled out of the parking lot and every minute she got closer to her house, the smile that was permanently fixed on her face would shrivel more and more until it was dead.

\-----

It was dumb curiosity, on his part.

His conversation with LP had stuck in his head the entire day and every part of his body was aching in tiresome pain. It wanted him to _just go to bed and forget everything._ He knew his body was pissed when he grabbed Pluto's leash and headed for the door that night, but he _knew_ he had to check.

He had to check if Yena would come by the park that night.

She may have implied that she was planning on sticking around but he couldn't believe it, so he had to double check, just to make sure. He figured that if she came by, it would mean that she was willing to be friends or at least acquaintances with him and that whole idea made him laugh incredulously.

How had he made a friend out of someone who hit him with their car?

Wonho snorted to himself, parting his lips enough for the smoke to pass through, before wrapping Pluto's leash tighter around his knuckles so the little guy couldn't run off. He closed his eyes, letting the smoke burn down his throat in a form of painful healing.

He peeled his eyes open and stared blindly up at the sky before reaching into his back pocket to pull out the letter that got LP so worked up. He glanced at Pluto, who was busy sniffing the ground, before pulling the letter out of the envelope just enough to read the first two lines.

 _The District Attorney_ _would like to request your attendance for a meeting in regards of a settlement offer that has recently been brought to the table._

_Regarding the People v --_

Wonho let out another billowing puff of smoke before fisting the sheet of paper in his hand, crumpling it up into a small ball and stuffing it in his pocket.

"Settlement offer." He repeated under his breath as his eyes moved aimlessly, soaking nothing even as he scanned in his surroundings.

Wonho scratched his ear, his fingers tugging on his earrings as he squeezed his eyes shut, relieving the momentary weight in his chest before shaking his head. He crouched down and stroked his palm over the dog's head, staring fondly at it.

"It must be nice being you." He mumbled to the small animal. He pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and tilted his head back to face the sky before letting the smoke pour out of his mouth.

He checked his watch, sighing at the time. It was past midnight and he was positive she wasn't coming but he understood her. He was still a stranger and it was a shot in the dark but it was still fun to have her as a friend while it lasted.

He straightened up and gave Pluto a gentle tug, "Come on, buddy. Let's head home."

"This is…new."

Wonho stilled before slowly turning his head to see Yena standing a few feet behind him, cautiously shifting on her heels as she stared at Pluto. Yena was dressed, once again, in a sweater, tights and running shoes, her hair tied up in a bun as she pulled her eyes off of Pluto to look at him.

"I didn't know you were a dog person." She muttered, her eyes still unapproachable and masked.

Wonho's lips twitched before they bloomed into a lopsided smile, "Eh, I consider myself more of an _everybody_ person. Plus the dog's not mine. My friends' boss is making him take care of it so I offered to take him out for a walk."

"Is that why you didn't bring your motorcycle?" Yena asked while inching closer to him and Pluto.

Wonho pouted, "Why do I feel like you only come out here to see my bike?"

Yena rolled her eyes and crouched down to scratch Pluto in between its ears, the dog immediately keened and rolled onto its back, showing its stomach, whining for more rubs.

Wonho laughed as Yena scratched its stomach before he dropped his cigarette and put it out with his foot, "Even a dog knows how to flirt with a pretty lady. Animal instinct is amazing."

Yena ignored Wonho's comment, trying not to frown in discomfort at his compliment and just focused on the puppy.

"It's late, was the fiancé keeping you busy?" He said jokingly while wiggling his brows.

She shrugged and stood up before taking the leash from Wonho's grip, "He's out of town. Business."

"I feel scandalous, like I'm having an affair with a married woman. I wonder when we should just run away together." Wonho said dramatically while walking along side her.

Yena kept her eyes on the dog, never daring _once_ to look at Wonho

"Don't say stuff like that. It's not funny." She muttered, his brows creasing slightly in the middle.

Wonho blinked, surprised by her curt tone and glanced over at her, "Oh come on, it's a joke. It's not like you or anyone else would actually believe that."

"You make too many jokes." She grumbled.

Wonho raised an eyebrow, "You make it sound like it's a bad thing."

The pair of them walked out of the park and down the street. "People who joke too much don't know how to take things seriously."

Wonho squinted his eyes at her logic, "I'm taking care of a puppy. I know how to be serious. Look how responsible I'm being. Plus, it's boring if you can't laugh and joke around about things, even serious things."

"People should just laugh at funny things and be serious about important things." She said promptly.

Wonho scoffed, "You have a real narrow way of thinking, Red."

He watched her face carefully, taking note of the way her jaw clenched and her brows twitched and her fists clenched before they all relaxed and turned into a classy smile.

"Well I guess we all have different opinions." she said calmly while looking back at Pluto.

Wonho's facial expressions stayed blank as he scanned her features, "Really? That's all you're going to say? You're not going to fight back or challenge me?"

"No…I'm not." She replied quietly.

He made a face a slipped his hands into his pockets, "So when someone disagrees with you, you just…let it go?"

"Yup."

He pursed his lips but said nothing. Yena picked up on his silence and gave him a look, "What?"

"Nothing, it's just that, doesn't that ever feel…I don't know…unsatisfying?"

She shrugged again, "My fiancé always tells me that I should know when to give up a fight. That they all can't be won."

"Well, he's not wrong." Wonho said, his eyes narrowing, "Sometimes you just get fucked and there's nothing you can do about it."

"I thought you were the optimistic one." She pointed out.

He shrugged, "Optimism doesn't equal delusion and naivety. But that being said, yes, sometimes you get fucked but other times you win. And even if you don't win, you still stood up for yourself. People will know you're not someone to be messed with, honestly it's pretty healthy."

"That sounds iffy." She said while watching Pluto lead the way with confidence that only an animal could have.

He could only grin, "That's why you gotta trust yourself, Red, that's your best weapon in a fight."

Yena didn't respond and instead let his words soak into her mind, letting the strange philosophy roll around.

Thrown off by her sudden thoughtful silence, Wonho decided to change the topic, "So, how was your day?"

She glanced at him from the side of her eye, "Why do you care?"

"I don't know, maybe it's because I'm painfully in love with you, Red, and hearing about your day brings me so much joy that my heart could explode." He sang wistfully.

Yena made a sound of disgust, making him laugh, "You need to find a girlfriend, then maybe you might stop the kneejerk flirting."

"Actually, my friend tried to set me up on a blind date today." Wonho blurted out.

She raised her brows and looked over at him, "You must've been bursting at the seams. Is she nice? Pretty?"

"I politely turned him down."

"Oh…why? I figured you'd love something like that."

He looked over at her, meeting her eyes and grinned, "Why? Is it because I'm such a romantic?"

"I was going to say because you're such a flirt but sure, let's go with that." She humoured.

Wonho's chuckle quieted down as they reached a street artist who was drawing beautiful works of art with chalk.

"I don't know, people my age…we should be more excited to date, right? I mean, look at you, you've already found the perfect guy and you're about to get married and probably pop out a dozen beautiful babies. I should be at that point in my life too but I just can't get into that mindset." He said plainly.

Yena chewed on her lip distractedly, "You're…what? Jealous of me?"

"Maybe." He said cheekily. "You're fiancé sounds like a dreamboat so maybe I should try to steal him from you."

"Don't get married just because you think that you _should_. All marriages look good from the outside, it doesn't mean it's all flowers and rainbows on the inside. It's sort of like a metaphor for life, everything can look great from the outside but everyone has their own problems they need to deal with. Problems that make life a whole lot harder to live." She said while handing him Pluto's leash and kneeling down to pick up a piece of chalk.

Wonho stayed silent and watched her draw an intricate sun with soft curls making up the inside. She was quite the artist because she somehow made something as simple as the sun look more radiant than a constellation with only a simple flicks of her wrist, and soon what started as a simple sun turned into her mapping the entire solar system onto the sidewalk. Even the artist himself had stopped his own work to watch her do hers.

Wonho's eyes trailed up to Yena and stared at her, the girl with stardust in her hair.

There was something terrifying about her, but not in a way that him scared of her. There was something terrifyingly real about her that he didn't think existed in the world. She was the epitome of a picture perfect life, she was a school teacher engaged to whom he could only assume is a successful man, driving an expensive car living in probably an even more expensive house. She was serious, cracking a rare smile, had hair that was perfectly coiffed, even when it's in a bun and wardrobe more expensive than half the cars he worked on.

She shouldn't be able to know a _thing_ about the real world and real problems but for some reason, Wonho felt like she knew more about it than him. 

Once she was done, she set the chalk down and crossed her arms over her kneecaps and stared at the picture before her.

"It's a shame, isn't it?" She said quietly, "All of this can be washed away in an instant."

Wonho grinned and nudged her back with his knee, "Yeah but then you get to do it all over again and isn't that more fun than staring at something that's already completed?"

Yena mulled that over before standing up and dusting her hands on her pants, "I guess so."

Wonho grinned as the people around Yena started clapping, the girl jumped in shock, only now seeing the crowd that had gathered to watch her work.

"Same time tomorrow?" Wonho asked casually.

She nodded before she caught herself, "Sur--Oh actually, no. My fiancé is going to be back in town tomorrow. We'll probably be having dinner."

"Hmm, I guess our great affair must be kept a secret for another night." He teased.

She glared as him before putting her hands in her pocket, "Still not funny. I can't believe I almost agreed to meet up with you again. What's wrong with me?"

"Ahn Yena, are we becoming friends? I'm blushing." He said in a mock gasp with a palm over his chest.

She gave him a look before turning away, "No…no we're not."


	8. Chapter 8

"Good morning, Ms. Ahn!"

Yena smiled and nodded at the students who greeted her as she wove through the halls, reminding students to hurry to class before the bell and morning announcements. Namjoon was coming back tonight and for the first time, she couldn't wait until the school day was over, she just wanted to get home as fast as possible. 

"Girls, 3 minutes till the bell, hurry up." She said to a group of girls gossiping at their lockers.

Seeing that most of the halls were empty, Yena headed to her own classroom but froze just as she passed the girl's bathroom. A frown curved on her lips as she leaned closer to the door to listen to the sound that had caught her attention.

It sounded…it sounded like a girl was crying and--

Yena's eyes widened when she heard the sound of someone retching. She knocked gently on the door and push it open slightly, "Hello? Is everything okay? Do you need me to get the nurse?"

"N-Noo…go away." The voice croaked out as the student sniffled.

When Yena heard the toilet flush, she pushed the bathroom door open to see one of the eighth grade students coming out of the bathroom stall with a toothbrush. Yena's eyes grew wide when the girl wiped her mouth and went to the sink to pat water on her face and wash out her mouth.

"Hey, are you okay? Did you just throw up? Do you need me to call your parents or the nurse?" Yena asked as she stepped up to the young girl who was drying her hands.

"No." The girl snapped under her breath as she tried to walk to the door.

Yena stepped in front of her, blocking her exit and looked stern. She glanced at the girl's name tag, "Song Jiaen, if you're making yourself throw up, we’re going to need to have a serious talk about this. This is a big deal."

Jiaen groaned, "Oh my god, stop making such a big deal about this. I have to go to class. Move."

Yena was persistent, "I think we should go to the nurse, because what I just saw you doing isn't a joke and it's not some petty offense like you skipping class. I don't think I can let you go back to class and we'll need to call your parents, too."

The girl scoffed and crossed her arms, "It's none of your business and if you call my parents, they'll have your job. You're not the boss of me, you're not even my teacher, so leave me alone."

Yena gaped, never having been spoken to by a student like that, "Miss.Song, you and I need to take a walk to the principal's office. Now."

"You can't do that." Jiaen said with a sneer.

Yena's eyes narrowed as she held the door open for her, "Watch me. Now march."

Jiaen stomped her foot and stormed passed Yena, muttering a quiet _bitch_ , under her breath before stalking to the principal's office.

Yena closed her eyes and sighed before shaking her head and following Jiaen.

It was going to be a long day.

\------

"So Ms.Ahn, why exactly have you pulled Miss. Song out of class?" Principal Im said with a raised brow.

Yena had her hands folded over her lap and glanced at Jiaen who was slouched in her chair with her arms crossed defiantly.

"Ms. Song here when I found her causing herself to throw up in the bathroom. I wanted to take her to the nurse but she said that she didn't want to however I felt tha--"

Principal Im laced his fingers together and adjusted his glasses, "What I'm hearing is that you found a student that was feeling a little sick and you offered medical attention and she declined, on her own will and you _still_ prevented her to go to class?"

Yena's lips parted as she blinked, "Ye-Yeah but, she _wasn't_ feeling a little sick, she was…she was making herself purge."

"I was not! How dare you!" Jiaen shrieked, "You're just making shit up!"

Principal Im shot Jiaen a look, "Language, Miss. Song." He turned back to Yena and took off his glasses, "And you, Ms. Song, it seems that Jiaen wasn't making herself purge and _was_ in fact just feeling a little queasy. Last I checked, you were not a medical professional, so I think we can let Miss. Song return to class with a warning, regarding her attitude towards her teachers, right?"

"But--"

"Return to class Miss. Song. Now please."

Yena watched as Jiaen rolled her eyes before standing up and stomping out of the office.

"Sir, I understand that she might have actually been sick, but she was crying and holding a toothbrush. It's not healthy if she has an eating disorder, it could really hurt her, she needs real help. Medical and psychological help." Yena proclaimed desperately.

Principal Im rubbed his eyes, "Firstly, a ninth grade girl cares more about her appearance than more celebrities. She probably carried a tooth brush to clean her mouth after throwing up."

Yena sighed but stayed silent when Principal Im raised his hand up to silence her, "Jiaen's parents donated an entire wing to this school. They are very powerful and very important and it's in our best interest to keep this quiet because I doubt they'd be happy if their daughter's _incident_ appears on the front pages of tabloids."

Yena shook her head, "But we're not going to the tabloids, we're going to her parents and to a hospital. She's sick, sir but not the kind of _sick_ that you're implying. She needs serious attention."

"Ms. Ahn, I hired you because your fiancé is a close friend to the school and I owed him a favour. You have been very unproblematic since you've been with us, but I do not need you stirring up trouble now. If she's sick, she'll get help on her own. She's fine and the school, her parents and myself would all greatly appreciate you dropping this issue and looking into it any further. I'll have the nurse keep an eye on her but for now I ask you to just keep your head down and do your job, you're not a medical or mental health expert."

"Princ--"

"Please do not make me regret doing your fiancé a favour, Ms.Ahn. Please." He said sternly, leaving no room for arguments.

"I…" Yena opened her mouth with dozens of arguments ready at the tip of her tongue, but when she saw his intense gaze, she hung her head down and nodded. "I understand sir."

Principal Im sighed and nodded, "Thank you. You may return to your class, I'm sure your students are waiting for you and I hope we won't have to have this conversation or any like it, again."

Yena bowed before standing up and slowly walking out of his office and towards her classroom. The students were on break and many of them were piling out of their classrooms to meet with their friends from other classes.

Yena felt the back of her eyes start to burn and the lump in her throat start to swell but when her some of the students greeted her, she smiled brightly and blinked back the humiliated tears to greet them back.

_"So when someone disagrees with you, you just…let it go?"_

_"… doesn't that ever feel…I don't know…unsatisfying?"_

Yena spotted Jiaen, huddled together with her clique of friends and when they saw her they started to giggle and whisper while glancing over at her.

"She thinks she can tell me what to do, but _I own her_ and this entire school."

_Yeah…yeah it does._

\-----

When she finally pulled up to her house, away from her school and it felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, like a hand that was suffocating her had released its grip on her. A tired smile worked up her face as she made her way to her bedroom and pulled off her office clothes and replace it with a robe.

She sat in front of her vanity and tied her hair up before pulling out her makeup and started getting ready but with every swipe of lipstick and every dab of powder and eyeshadow, her eyes kept glancing over at her phone, her mind floating to Jiaen.

Setting her brush down, she picked up her phone and opened up her handbag and pulled out the student directory that she had carry around and flipped to Jiaen's name and dialled her emergency contact and waited while the number rang.

After a few rings a husky female voice answered, "Yes?"

"H-Hi! My name is Ahn Yena and I'm a teacher at Jiaen's school. I'm sorry to be calling you now and on my personal number."

The woman hummed, "I see, well what can I do for you, Ms. Ahn?"

"Well, you see, today Jiaen had a bit of an incident, I caught her in the bathroom and, of course I'm not professional, but it seemed to me that she was forcing herself to throw up and I'm not quite sure but I think she should see a doctor o--"

"Ahn Yena is what you said your name was?" The woman spoke briskly.

She cleared her throat, "Yes, ma'am."

"Kim Namjoon's bird."

Yena stiffened and squeezed her hand, "I'm his fiancée."

"I would ask that you no longer call me about my daughter, unless it's involving her grades. We will take care of raising her and I _will_ _not_ let a grade school teacher tell me how to raise and take care of my daughter. I won't let a teacher insult me like that." She barked in an icy tone.

Yena's voice died into a squeak as she stumbled for words, "O-Of course not. I-I would never. I just thought her parents should kn--"

"I heard about you, Ms. Ahn. Kim Namjoon's fiancée caused a lot of buzz, looks like the all the talk was true. You _are_ just a charity case _joke_ that doesn't belong with the rest of us, you are barely scraping by in this community of ours and if you keep acting this pathetic I can assure you Namjoon won't think twice about getting rid of you. I have no idea why he bothers to have you around anyways, so you should be walking on eggshells around us, Ms. Ahn. If you ever call this number again, I'll make it _very_ difficult for you to exist within this circle and it would be a shame for me to do that to Namjoon." She snapped before the line went dead.

Yena sat, frozen, with her phone still pressed to her ear, as the dial tone continued to bleat in her ear, the repetitive tone mixed with the echoing of her cold words, rendered her motionless. When Yena's eyes moved slowly to her reflection and flinched when she saw herself.

Thick black tears of mascara and expensive eyeliner were spilling down her cheeks as she cried.

\-----

"Welcome back."

Namjoon looked up and stared at Yena who was smiling brightly from the staircase in full hair and makeup, dressed in a spring dress.

"What are you wearing? You look ridiculous. It's autumn." He muttered, annoyed.

Her grin grew as she skipped down the stairs and up to him, "I missed you. I thought we could go out or maybe we could stay in and I could make you dinner."

"I'm heading back to downtown. I have a meeting in the morning so I'm going to stay in a hotel near the office so it's easier." He said while dropping his suitcases but keeping his duffle and garment bag.

Yena's smile faltered a bit, "C-Can't you just stay home and leave a little early tomorrow?"

"No." He muttered. "Mrs. Song gave me a call. I'm sure you know who that is."

Her lips parted before she shook her head, "No, Namjoon, you don't understand, their daughter is really sick."

Yena's fell still as Namjoon leaned close to her, "Don't _ever_ embarrass me like that again, do you hear me? I already need to do damage control over the fact that my wife is a teacher, don't use your position to make everything worse. Do you understand?"

She didn't speak but nodded silently while staring up at him, he inched forward and narrowed his eyes, "Don't _ever_ make me apologize on your behalf again, okay?"

"O--Okay."

He rolled his eyes and turned away, "Useless." He muttered under his breath.

"Actually," She started, "I was thinking that…maybe we should get a dog. I thought it'd be nice."

Namjoon looked at her before laughing, "A dog? What makes you think you can take care of a dog? I'm not taking care of a mutt and you can barely take care of yourself."

"Bu--You're right. Sorry."

He opened the door before looking back at her, "And for the love god, pick a damn wedding date."

\-----

"Where are you going?"

Wonho grinned at Shownu and held up his box of cigarettes, "Guess."

"Those things will kill ya'."

Wonho scrunched his nose up before grinning, "I've made it through a lot worse."

\-----

Wonho's day faired a lot better that night than it did the night before and he was glad. A part of him was worried it was becoming a routine for him to have to go through it every night, so even a single night of a break was refreshing.

He leaned against his usual bench and flicked his lighter and held it up in front of his lips, watching the embers spark at the end of his cigarette. He slipped his hands into his pockets and let the smoke pass through his lips while tilting his head back. He grinned when the gentle autumn wind ruffle his hair.

The night air smelled different than it did in the day. Maybe it was because the night had less people and less pollution, or maybe it was the weather, but the night always smelled like burned charcoal and it always gave him shivers.

It was so calming, the few moments when he could be outdoors and surround himself in total silence. He was so used to filling every moment with laughter and jokes, that he almost forgot how comforting silence could be.

Suddenly that very silence was broken at the sound of scraping feet. He lazily rolled his head to the side, to look at the source of the sound before his eyes widened in shock.

But silence was always more comforting with company.

Yena was shuffling towards him in a bright yellow spring dress with along trench coat hanging around her shoulders. Her hair fell past her shoulders in waves and her eyes were strong with smoky shadow and eyeliner and bronzer that made her cheeks stand out.

She was dragging her purse on the ground as she walked weakly towards him. He narrowed his eyes and took a long drag of the cigarette, sucking in the last bits of the tobacco before dropping it and crushing it with his heel. He walked up to her, meeting her half way and tilted his head down to catch her eyes when she came to a stop.

"I thought you weren't coming out tonight, Red. I figured you and your fiancé would be locked up in your bedroom until tomorrow morning." He teased.

She groaned as she lifted her bag over her shoulder, "Things came up. Dinner ended early so I thought I'd go for a walk. I kinda had a rough day at work"

"Shouldn't you go for a walk with him, all romantic and stuff?" Wonho pointed out.

She shot him a look before turning on her heel, "This was a mistake."

"Att, att, att." He tsked while grabbing her elbow and pulling her back towards him. "I'm not letting you off the hook that easily. It's not every day a pretty lady puts on a pretty dress and comes to find me while looking even prettier than she already is."

She rolled her eyes and pulled her arm away from him, "You're incorrigible."

"Thank you, Red." He grinned but his smile lessened when she sighed and pushed her hair out of her face, almost desolately. He stared at her face as she looked off to the side with tired eyes before an idea popped up.

"Follow me." He said while spinning her around so her back faced him and put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her forwards.

She blinked rapidly before frowning, "Wait, where are we going?"

"You'll see, Red."

\-----

"You know…I really shouldn't let a random stranger lead me around places at night after he ominously answers my questions about where he's taking me with ' _you'll see'_. I don't know anything about you other than your name and where you work." Yena complained as she walked next to Wonho as he led her in the opposite direction that she normally walks down.

Wonho paused, thoughtfully before reaching into his pocket. He pulled his key ring out and flipped through them before he found one with a red cover. She watched as he unhooked it and handed it to her.

She took it cautiously and turned it over in her palm before looking at him, waiting for an answer.

"I live down 7 blocks and to the left 2 blocks at Estate Towers. Suite 108 or you can look me up in the apartment directory, the suite is under the name Son." He said promptly.

She scoffed in disgust and held the key out to him, "I don't want your house key."

"It's not an invitation, Red. It's collateral. If I'm really some crazy serial killer and I _do_ kill you, I'm sure I won't really get away with it if the cops find my key in your purse. Hold onto it. It might stop me from killing you." He teased before continuing to walk.

She stared at the key and then back up at Wonho who was already walking ahead of her and sighed before reluctantly putting it in her bag. She jogged to catch up to him before crossing her arms over her chest.

"Son, huh? I thought your surname was Shin." She asked curiously.

He grinned, "My friend's dad bought us the place when he got divorced, kind of as a way to earn back his kid's love."

"Us?" She asked.

He nodded before turning the corner, "The 7 of us live together. We've known each other for a long time now. One them will probably have a spare key to lend me."

"That must be cool. I've never had roommates before." She mumbled as Wonho stopped in front of a store and opened the door for her.

"Well, besides your fiancé."

She nodded with a small, weak smile, "Yeah. I'm…I'm lucky to have him."

"And I'm sure he's lucky to have you too." He countered.

"Oh, I don't know about that. He's going to be a CEO, I'm just an elementary school teacher." She said simply.

He snorted, "Just? Aren't you a woman who went on a royal rant about the importance of teachers and how integral they are to the building of a child's character, in the middle of a supermarket."

"Touché." She said, without elaborating.

She hummed absentmindedly before looking around, finally taking in her surroundings, "A music shop?"

"One of the friends I live with found this gem." He said while wandering off in another direction as Yena continued to browse on her own.

He nodded at the owner who went back to the newspaper he was reading behind the counter. Yena walked around the store, staring at the guitars that were hung up on the wall next to different records.

Suddenly the upbeat sound of a piano floated through the room, catching her attention. She turned and looked around before spotting Wonho at one of the grand pianos, his fingers moving deftly across the ivory keys. She walked over to him, noting that there were no music sheets in front of him. She laced her fingers behind her back and stood next to him, watching him play.

Wonho's lips curled up in a smile as he looked away from the keys to glance at her, "Impressed?"

"You play the piano? How cultured of you." She commented while he continued to play.

He shrugged, "I took music in highschool and a took a few music courses as electives in college. You see, I'm very high brow, don't let the leather jacket, piercings and ripped jeans fool you, Red. It's just my angsty-hipster look."

Yena leaned her arms on top of the piano and watched his fingers move as the upbeat ring of Rimsky's Flight of the Bumble-Bee melt into a sadder, slower, painful rendition of Chopin's Raindrop Prelude. Her lips turned down into a sad frown as he continued to play.

He watched her expression change before looking back at the keys. Yena licked her lips and listen to the music get increasingly more painful before clearing her throat.

"My fiancé keeps asking me to pick a wedding date and I keep putting it off and I don't know why." She blurted in confession.

Wonho didn't react and kept his eyes on the keys, "Did you tell him that you're having such a hard time?"

"He's busy, that's the only reason why he's letting me choose." She said while moving to sit next to him on the bench, leaving a noticeable gap between them.

"I'm sure you're more important to him, Red." He said thoughtfully.

She tucked her lips into her mouth and nodded, still finding no solution to her dilemma. "I guess I just want to make sure I make the right decision."

"Does the date even matter though? I mean, if you want an outdoor wedding, pick a warm date and if you want an indoor wedding pick _any_ date. Isn't the important thing that you're getting married? Not _when_ you're getting married." He questioned.

She sat on her hands and nodded, "I guess, but it's a little more complicated than that."

There were so many different factors she had to consider, she had to make sure that the dates don't conflict with any of Namjoon's major business partners' overseas trips and that it falls on an auspicious day and that it gives all of his foreign partners time to fly in and…it was more than just picking a date based on the weather.

Wonho's fingers slowed down until they came to a stop, he stared out in front of him for a minute before turning to look at her, "You _do_ want to marry him, right? You're sure of that and that he's the mystical _one_."

"Of course I am. Why would you even ask that?" She said dubiously, "Why would I accept his proposal if I didn't want to get married?"

He shrugged, "Tons of people say yes to the proposal but back down before the ceremony, Red. I don't know, none of my friends are married but I just figure that marriage is a big step and every time you make a decision about the wedding means that it gets _more_ _real_ , right? I mean, marriage is for life. Why do you think people get cold feet? They realize what a big step that is and it scares them."

"I'm not scared to get married." She said defensively. "I know I want this. I've been with him forever, this is the next step."

He grinned and then bumped shoulders with her, "Well then, pretty thing, just pick a date. You're over thinking it."

Yena pursed her lips as she thought about it, when her phone started to ring. She glanced at the display before looking at Wonho.

"I need to take this."

He smiled and looked back at the piano, working his fingers over the keys as she stood up and walked out the door.

"Hello?"

A young male voice came through the phone, "Good evening Ms. Ahn, this is Mr. Lee, Mr. Kim's PA?"

"Oh yes, of course Mr. Lee, what can I help you with?" She asked while hugging herself.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, "Well, Mr.Kim wanted me to check in and see if you've picked a wedding date yet, if of course, you're not busy."

"R-Right…he wants it now?" She asked while looking through the glass door, into the shop, at Wonho who had his phone propped up where the music sheets would normally go. She could faintly see him reading music notes off his phone and playing them expertly over the keys.

"Yes, he mentioned that it was time sensitive. Do you have a date picked out, Ms. Ahn?"

She watched Wonho lean forward to see the notes clearer before he continued to play. She opened the door, just a crack, to hear what he was playing.

Bicycle by Jay Chou

"Ms. Ahn? Are you still there?"

She closed the door and turned her back to the store.

"Yes. I'm still here and yes…I have a date in mind."


	9. Chapter 9

"Wait, you want me to do what?"

Yena closed the bathroom door behind her and turned on the bathroom fan, "Song Jiaen. Keep your eye on her when she goes to the bathroom, Check on her if she doesn't come out after a while."

"But why?" Airin asked over the phone.

Yena jumped when someone knocked on the door and whispered quickly into the phone, "I don't have time to explain, but it's about her health."

Yena didn't give Airin a chance to respond before ending the call and slipping her phone into her pocket. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror, long, straight brown hair, falling over her shoulder, she was dressed in a silk cream blouse and a pair of white pants. Yena let out a breath before walking to the door and opening it up.

"Where have you been? We've been waiting for you, dear." Namjoon said with a smile.

Yena smiled in return and looked over his shoulder where the wedding planner and her future mother in-law was seated, watching them. "Sorry, my stomach was a little upset. I'm fine now."

"We were just discussing wedding colours." The wedding planner called out as Namjoon and Yena took a seat on the couch.

She nodded and looked at the swatches laid out on the coffee table in front of her. The wedding planner cleared her throat and smiled brightly, "So these are the colours that I think will work the best, what do you two think?"

"The dark purple and light yellow would be nice." Yena said while picking up the swatch.

Namjoon's mom tilted her head back, "The dark purple will be too overpowering, won't it? Dark colours are a bad omen for a wedding."

"Well, that is true but modern weddings nowadays use darker accents to bring out the bride's white dress, so that she and the rest of the ballroom aren't so monochromatic." The wedding planner said brightly.

"I don't know, I don't like it." She hummed. She looked over at Yena, "What do you think Yena? Don't you agree?"

Namjoon sat up while bouncing his knee, "We'll go with the red."

"But I like the purple." Yena said quietly, more to herself.

The wedding planner blinked at her before glancing at Namjoon's mother who sat regally and let out a fake laugh.

"Oh, I don't think you're going to disagree with your mother-in-law, are you sweetie?" Her voice sounded light and teasing but Yena knew better.

She had always been distant from her in-laws and despite being with Namjoon for so long, she had rarely gotten to know them because they were so busy. He introduced her to them once at a formal dinner before he proposed to her.

Yena glanced, panicked, at Namjoon who was still bouncing his knee distractedly before he sighed and stood up, "Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom."

Yena's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to ask him _not to leave her alone with these two women_ , but he was already opening the bathroom door and stepping in. Feeling everyone's eyes on her, she licked her lips and smiled elegantly.

"The red looks lovely. We could have roses in the centerpieces."

Namjoon's mother clapped her hands, "Good, see? I knew we could come to a compromise."

Is it a compromise if only one person gets their way? Yena didn't think so. 

Yena tapped her fingers nervously on her knees as she smile awkwardly at Mrs. Kim. "Of course."

Was this going to be the entire evening? What was the point of her missing work if her mother-in-law was going to do all the planning and was going to constantly disregard her opinions just to whatever she wanted?

This was _her_ wedding, wasn't she allowed to plan it the way _she_ wanted? It wasn't like she was going to get married another time, this was it for her, the biggest event of her life was going to be to the tastes of another woman.

The wedding planner jotted notes down before setting another booklet on the already cluttered desk, "Have you thought of what flowers you'd like?"

"Oh! Well since the theme is red, I thought it's be nice if the flower girls carried stems of red tulips and have them be tied together with a strip of white silk ribbon." Yena said excitedly.

Mrs. Kim gasped, "Oh my, that would lovely. Oh Yena, you have such amazing taste."

Yena was taken aback by Mrs. Kim suddenly being so accommodative, she had figured the woman would dislike the idea and pressure her to agree with her.

This was…this was nice.

Yena couldn't fight back the smile on her face as her chest bubbled with pride. "And I think it'd be nice if the bouquet was a cascading one."

"Wonderful." Mrs.Kim said with a smile.

"Mmm, yes, I think I could make that work quite nicely. I know an amazing florist who does arrangements like that." The wedding planner said while she scribbled more notes down.

At that time Namjoon stepped out of the bathroom, rubbing his face and sat next to Yena with a sigh.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly. "You've excused yourself 3 times already."

He nodded distractedly as the wedding planner and his mother chatted about centerpieces and place settings, "Not feeling well."

"Do you want to go upstairs and rest? I can handle the rest." She offered but he quickly shook his head.

"I didn't take a day off to rest." He said simply before turning on his charm when the wedding planner started asking him about invitations.

"Speaking of which, Yena, have you decided who you're going to invite on your side of the family?" Mrs. Kim asked. 

Yena gave Namjoon one last concerned look before facing the women, "Aside from my parents, I have one childhood friend attending and my colleague Airin will be my maid of honour."

"Wait, I'm sorry, another _teacher_ is going to be your maid of honour?" Namjoon blurted out in shock.

Yena looked surprised at his outburst and let out an awkward laugh when the other two women looked at the couple strangely, "O-of course, she's my good friend."

"Won't that be a bit embarrassing? My best man is the Heir of the Samsung group and he'll be paired up with a woman that no one will recognize? People will get the wrong idea. He should be paired up with someone a bit more notable." He said firmly.

Yena gave him an odd look as she tried to play the tension off with a laugh, "Wrong idea? Airin has a boyfriend."

"I'm not surprised." His mother snarked under her breath. "The low folk hop around so much, I doubt she was ever single."

Yena's eye twitched and her hands fisted up, but before she could say anything, Namjoon but his hand on her thigh and dug his nails into her flesh, silencing her.

"Maybe it's not the best idea if you invite her, she'll just be embarrassed." He said forcefully.

Yena was about to back down and agree with him, letting him have his way, when her eyes landed on the wedding planner's notepad that had been set down on the table. Yena's eyes grew wide when she saw the words 'long stemmed tulips--flower girls' crossed out and next to it written, 'rose petal baskets.' Her eyes moved further down on the pad to see 'waterfall bride bouquet' crossed out and replaced with 'round-bulb bride bouquet'. She looked up and saw Mrs. Kim giving her a sweet smile.

 _That's_ why his mom was being so agreeable…she was going to do whatever she wanted either way, she just wanted to look like the good guy by making it look like Yena was the one making all the final decisions. Yena's eye twitched as she turned to Namjoon.

"She'll only be posing with your best man in a few pictures with the rest of the wedding party. I want her to be my maid of honour. If it's not her, then who else would be it?"

Namjoon barely paid any attention throughout the whole meeting, letting the women do most of the planning, why did he have to chose _now_ to give his opinion.

The wedding planner cleared her throat, failing to defuse the tension. "Maybe we can pair Yena's friend up with someone else from Namjoon's wedding party and then pair the best man with one of the company's endorsement models, we'll just throw her in as a bridesmaid."

"Fine." Namjoon muttered before standing up, making sure to shoot her a glare, "I need to use the bathroom."

Yena gulped as she watched him walk away. Maybe she shouldn't have pushed the Airin issue so much, he was clearly using the bathroom as an excuse to get away from her. But Airin was her friend, her _only_ friend, the only person who gave her the time of day at work and who liked her despite the things other teachers said about her and Namjoon.

She owed this to Airin.

"Namjoon is so good to you." Mrs.Kim said while looking at her nails with the utmost casual nature. "Back in my day, a trophy wife would get the back of the hand if she talked back like that."

Yena's lips parted in shock at the jarring statement, even the wedding planner's jaw was hanging open.

"I-I am _not_ a trophy wife." Yena breathed out.

Mrs.Kim laughed while she continued to inspect her dark, blood red claws, "Oh sweetheart, of course you're not…trophies are usually worth something."

\-----

"Wonho you got a call on line 1."

Wonho set the invoices for the new shipments down, "Thanks, put 'em through."

A few beeps later, a crackly voice came through the speaker.

"Wonho…it's me."

"Who ar--" He froze before his grip on his phone tightened and rage filled up his system when he recognized the voice. He shot up from his seat, his hands trembling as he snarled into the receiver, "Don't _ever_ call my place of business again or I swear to god I'll call the police, you pathetic old man. Take _no_ for a goddamn answer."

He grit his teeth and felt a growl bubble in his throat as he slammed the phone repeatedly against its holder.

"What the hell is up your asshole?"

He froze stiffened before slowly turning to see a beautiful girl in a black dress, one he hadn't seen in a decade, standing by the door holding two cups of coffees. His eyes widened and his throat dried up as he stared at her, nothing but a raspy whisper escaping his lips.

"D-Danah?"

\-----

"How have you been?" Danah asked as she took a seat across from Wonho's desk.

He was standing, leaning against the edge of the table with his arms crossed, while sipping on the coffee, "Good. Busy."

"I never would've thought you'd be working as a mechanic." She said while looking around her office.

He shrugged, "I stumbled into it, it wasn't ideal when I started but I've got a good thing going and I might take over after the boss retires. It's an honest place with honest people, you've seen the shop."

"I haven't really seen _you_ , though." She said with a small smile.

He took a deep breath and nodded, "I know, I'm sorry, I wanted to call and catch up but it's just been kinda busy an--"

"You've been busy for the last 10 years? Why do I find that hard to believe?" She scoffed with a knowing smile.

He rubbed his face, "Danah, it was really hard back then."

"No shit. You think _I_ don't know that? You think you're the only one who had a hard time?" She barked, her face growing serious.

He softened and looked at his feet, "I know, I know and I was selfish to just leave but I was angry and it was rough, I was 19. By the time I started to get back on my feet, I was scared that if I called you up again, I might not be ready to face whatever it is I had to face."

The hardness in her eyes smoothed over as she watched him, "Where did you even go after graduation?"

He scratched the back of his neck, "A small college in the middle of nowhere."

"I thought you got accepted to Seoul U." Her voice held more of an accusatory tone than she intended but he chose not to acknowledge it.

He set the cup of coffee down and propped his hands on the edge of the table, "I couldn't go there, not after what happened. We made so many plans for Seoul U, it just didn't seem right to do them on my own."

She stayed silent, chewing on the inside of her cheek, "But now…it doesn't hurt as much, does it?"

"No, you were right. It went away after some time, it was easier to look back at the past in a more happier way." He admitted while smiling at her.

"Good." She said with a gentle smile.

His smile fell a fraction, "How about you? How are you doing?"

"A lot better too, I'm letting myself be happy more often. It feels like a fresh start. I also got a promotion, so the bills aren't so much of a struggle and I can pay for my parents to continue living at the center." She said happily.

Wonho only looked guiltier, "If I had called and knew, me and the guys could've helped with all of that stuff. Shownu especially."

"It would've been nice at the time but I'm glad I learned to tough it out on my own."

He gave her a warm look, "Yeah, I can relate."

She nodded with her own smile, "I'm glad, because I actually came to bring you this and I was worried it might upset you." 

He watched her open her purse and pull out a picture frame. She stood up and handed it to him, so that he could turn it over and see the image it was protecting. Wonho stared at the picture, blinking at it a few times before a slow, honest smile curved up his lips.

"Where was this from?" He asked while staring at the picture.

She stood next to him, leaning against the table so that she could look at the picture as well, "When all of us went to the beach before senior year started."

"Changkhyun looks like a fetus. He was in, what, the seventh or eighth grade at the time? Damn, I can't believe we were friends with him back then." He said absentmindedly.

Danah chuckled before sighing, "You're happy now, right?"

"That's a loaded question, Danah." He mumbled while tracing every single person's face with his eyes.

She nudged his side with her elbow, "You know what I mean."

"I'm a lot better Danah, but… _that_ wasn't the only thing that made me unhappy. I had a lot of shit I had to deal with and yeah, I'm a hell of a lot better than I used to be but there are still things I'm dealing with about my past, things that don't go away that easily. So, no, I can't just say that I'm happy." He said while setting the frame down on the table.

She gave him an incredulous look, "Oh my god, are _they_ still hounding you?"

"I was offered a settlement, Shownu told me that the choice was up to me but when he talked it over with his dad he said that accepting the money would probably equal some conditions and I can't do that. So I guess the hounding isn't going to stop."

She closed her eyes with a huff, "Why are your answers always so complicated?"

"I don't know." He said with a grin while pushing himself off the table and towards the door, "I'd like to think it makes me more interesting."

Danah rolled her eyes and followed him out the door, "Fine, so you're not 100% pure and happy, no one is. But are you at least okay?"

"Danah, I have a family of 6 brothers who don't seem to know what it means to be _adults_ , this morning I watched Jooheon bet Kihyun he couldn't fit 3 whole boiled eggs in his mouth. I have a stable job that I might one day be the boss of, I have my freedom, I laugh a lot and waking up in the morning is actually something I look forward to. I'm more than okay." He said while ignoring LP's inquisitive stare when he saw the two of them and led Danah to her car in the parking lot.

He opened the door for her and watched her get in before closing it. She rolled the window down and bent over to meet her eyes.

"So…I don't need to worry about you?" She asked softly.

He tilted his head in confusion before realization struck him, "You visited Shownu, first."

"I was going to visit him during lunch but I saw that article of him and _Heiress A_ and I had to harass him about it." She said with a smile.

He nodded with a charismatic smile, "Then you should know that I was a mess before but I'm great now. Hell, I'm like a brand new person and I figure that I should live like I'm on earth for another reason besides existing."

"I swear to god, Shin Wonho, one day you're going to make a woman very, _very_ happy." She said with a shake of her head before putting her seatbelt on.

He grinned and tapped on the roof of her car, "Well, do me a favour and make sure you tell that woman that your mother will always be my first love. I bet 10 years later she's still a stunner. Your father is a lucky man. Have a safe drive, Danah and thanks for dropping by. I mean it."

"Anytime, Shin. See you around." She said before driving off.

Wonho grinned as she drove away and turned before walking back into the shop. LP's head popped up when he saw his friend and jogged over to him in an attempt at looking casual.

"Who was that?" LP asked while running alongside him. "She's pretty. Is she your girlfriend? Is she like a bang buddy? Is she a casual thing or serious? Is--"

"She's something like a sister to me."

\-----

"You're late."

Wonho's couldn't contain his blinding smile when he walked into the entrance park to find Yena sitting on the bench, swinging her feet.

Engaged or not, there was always something a little romantic and tiny bit wonderful about seeing a beautiful woman waiting just for _you_. It was just a general rule of thumb.

He pulled his sleeve back and looked at his watch, "Well, since it's 10:15 and I _did_ say that I'm always here at 10, you're right. I am late. Please do accept my sincerest apologies m'lady Red." He said with a bow.

Yena rolled her eyes and stood up before walking up to him, "There's a bookstore near here that I need to go to. I need to buy a few novels for my class."

"I'm honoured that you would allow me to accompany you on this great mission." He said dramatically while letting her lead the way.

She kept her lips pressed as they turned out of the park and onto the sidewalk, "I spent the whole day doing wedding planning that I didn't have time to run errands."

"Oh, shit, you picked a wedding date, already?" He asked with raised brows.

She hummed while nodding, checking her phone for directions. Wonho picked up his pace so that he was walking next to her.

"That's awesome. When is it? You look like a summer lover."

Yena tucked her phone away and crossed her arms over her chest, "5 months. January 15th."

"5 months? Isn't that too soon?" Wonho asked while slipping his hands into his pockets.

She looked over her shoulder and made a face, "Too soon? How long do you think it takes to plan a wedding?"

"Hell if I know, but if your fiancé is a CEO, won't it be a big shindig?" He questioned.

She nodded as she stopped in front of the book store, "It will be, but our wedding planner is the best there is, she can work fast. She makes last minute celebrity shotgun weddings look like weddings that have been planned for over a year."

"Amazing." He said in awe as he watched her pick up a basket.

He trailed after her, watching her scan each shelf with sniper like precision, "So why January 15th? Is it an anniversary or an important date or something?"

"Not really, I mean, I kind of wanted to get married in April for the plum blossoms but we were kind of short on time." She said casually.

Wonho grabbed her shoulders and spun her around before looking at her stomach, "Oh my god, are _you_ having a shotgun wedding?"

"Cool it." She said while pushing his hands away, "He just wants to get married as soon as possible, he doesn't want to wait."

She turned away so he couldn't see her bite her lip and her eyebrows furrow. She didn't exactly lie, Namjoon _did_ want to get married as soon as possible, but it wasn't because he was in a rush to be with her.

_"April 20th." She said with a small smile._

_There was the sound of furious typing before Mr. Lee clucked his tongue, "Oooh. April 20th isn't going to work."_

_"I'm sorry, what do you mean it's not going to work? It's a wedding date, how does that not work?" She asked, stunned._

_"Well Mr. Kim's father is officially stepping down as CEO in March and it would be ideal if he be married before then." Mr. Lee said sympathetically._

_"O-Oh well, I hadn't really considered winter wedding dates before."_

_"You're in luck because Mr. Kim had expected this to happen, he had me pick a date for you. How does January 15th sound?" Mr. Lee asked in a chipper tone._

_Yena's blood ran cold when she heard the date and her hands started to tremble. "Y-You ran this by Namjoon? H-He g-gave you the green light for J-January 1-15th?"_

_"Of course, he said it was perfect." He confirmed proudly._

_Yena's hands started to shake furiously as she covered her mouth and sniffled, trying to maintain her composure. Her knees gave way a little and she nearly fell over had she not caught herself on the door handle to the music store._

_How could he say yes to January 15th?_

_How could he have forgotten?_

_"January 15th is…is fine."_

Wonho let out a breath of relief, "Oh thank god because I'd feel guilty for charming a pregnant woman."

"But you don't feel guilty trying to charm an engaged woman?" She challenged while pulling some books off the shelf and putting them in her basket.

Wonho moved around her and leaned against the shelf to give her a cheeky grin, "Engaged doesn't mean you're married, I can still win your heart and make you leave your handsome fiancé for me, Red."

"Classy." She mumbled while reading the back of a book before adding it to her basket.

"So when should I expect an invitation?" He teased. 

She shook her head, "I wouldn't hold your breath. I'd be lucky if _I_ got invited."

"What do you mean? It's your wedding." Wonho asked in confusion.

She briskly shook her head, "Never mind."

"What are you exactly looking for, anyways?" He asked while looking at her strange collection of books.

"I teach elementary school kids, they don't have the longest attention span to read entire chapter books, even if they're less than 100 pages. So I spent the sometime doing research on good children's poetry collections. They're short, but they tell a story, each poem takes a few seconds to read, but you can spend a whole period talking about what the kids felt when they read it and what they thought it meant. And if all goes well, I can get the kids to write their own." She said while dropping one more book into her basket.

Wonho looked impressed as he scanned the collection, "That's thoughtful."

"It's kind of fun. I'm an adult and this is my job but it gives me the chance to think like I'm a 9 year old kid. _What would I want to learn if I was nine?_ Stuff like that." She added.

He shook his head, "I don't know how you do it."

"What?" She asked while looking over at him.

"Your job. Caring for so many kids, putting their priorities ahead of your own. I mean, I used to be like that but over time I stopped because I wanted to put myself first." He said while thinking about Danah's visit.

She pursed her lips and came to a stop before turning to face him, "Isn't that selfish?"

"Oh yeah, sometimes it's really selfish, but I owed it to myself. What's the point of living your life for someone else when life's already so short to begin with? You can't dwell Red, you got to keep moving forward. I'm paraphrasing Dory." He said while the both of them simultaneously leaned against the bookshelf.

His words dulled into the background as her mind wandered off, she wondered how different it would've been if she said no to Namjoon's mom, the red theme, roses and bulb bouquet or if she told Mr. Lee that it was either April 20th or they could just forget about getting married.

Would she feel happier or would she have just felt guilty for being selfish?

When she fought for Airin's invitation she was terrified, but once she got it, she felt scared at Namjoon's reaction, but there was a part of her that felt happy, but was that small part of her enough? How would she have felt if she just caved? Would it have felt the same way she felt about the flowers and colour theme?

Would she just have felt…

"…Empty."

Wonho blinked at her when she interrupted his sentence, her eyes in a clear daze.

"Empty?" He asked.

She snapped out of her reverie and looked him properly in the eyes, "Empty. If you live your life for someone else you might feel empty afterwards because you gave your life to someone else and left yourself with nothing."

"Yeah…I guess you're right."

Her eyes drifted past Wonho's shoulder before they landed on a book fit snugly between two other ones that squished the book so tightly, as if they were trying to hide it away. Wonho flinched when Yena's hand reached out towards him, and for a split second, his heart picked up speed as he stared at her with wide eyes, but then her hand drifted past him and pulled a book out of the shelf before she stared at the title.

_The Giving Tree._

Wonho stayed silent as Yena flipped through the pages, her eyes moving quickly from left to right before she finally put the book in her basket.

"I don't know how people do it." She said quietly.

He raised his brows, prompting her to finish her sentence, "I don't know how people live their lives for themselves."

\-----

"Got all the books you need, Red?" He asked after they spent another 30 minutes browsing, Wonho had even left Yena to do some browsing of his own before they reconvened in the middle of the store.

She nodded while looking at her stock, "I think so."

"Great." He took the basket from her and handed it to the cashier, "Hi, do you mind holding onto these while we do some more browsing?"

"Sure."

Yena looked at him in confusion, "We're done, though."

"No…" He grinned devilishly,"…we're not, Red."

She was in a stunned silence as he dragged her into an aisle of fiction novels, he reached into his pocket and pulled out two pads of sticky notes and 2 pens.

"Where did you get that?" She asked in shock.

He smiled, "I swiped it from the cashier's table."

He gave her a pad and pen but said nothing and just stared at her expectantly. Yena frowned and stared at him back until he rolled his eyes.

"Aren't you going to ask me why I gave it to you?"

She raised a brow, "Why did you give it to me?"

He beamed triumphantly, "You seem like a woman who likes to read, so let's play a game."

"A game?" She asked warily.

He nodded, "Kind of." He tapped the stick note pad in his hand, "Put one in all of your favourite books and write down one reason why you love it but no spoilers."

"But…why?" She asked, befuddled.

He uncapped the pen with his mouth. "It's fun and imagine all the people coming to this store looking for something to read. The backs of books can be misleading, but hearing from someone who actually read the book and enjoyed it is so much better. You're giving a little piece of you and you might turn a new reader into a fan."

"Have you done this before?" She asked dubiously at how quickly he had come up with the idea.

He shook his head, "Never, but I thought about what you said about feeling empty and I thought that we should remind ourselves of happier times. What do you say?"

"Sounds…fun." She said softly.

He beamed while walking away, "Let's go!"

\-----

Yena didn't know how much time had passed when she had reached the end of her pad of sticky notes and she had gone through so many novels that she could barely remember the notes she had written.

 _Invisible Monster_ \-- I love how broken beauty is.

 _Gone Girl_ \-- I love how we can be manipulated by our own feelings.

 _House Rules_ \-- I love the extent a person can go for their loved ones despite mental limitations.

 _The Great Gatsby_ \-- I love how it shows how desperately we hold onto the past and our nostalgia.

 _Fahrenheit 451_ \-- I love that no two people will finish this story with the exact same interpretation.

 _Scarlet Letter --_ I love that a novel so old can be so relevant in all the worst ways.

 _Catch 22_ \-- I love that war is as inevitable as our sanity.

Were only a few that she could remember from the dozens she had gone through and if she had another pad of sticky notes, she was sure she could keep going. And every now and then, she'd glance over at Wonho whenever they ended up in the same aisle and it was such an odd experience.

He looked different when he was focusing and serious. His brows were knit together and his hand moved quickly as he scribbled down notes, and slap them on the inside cover. Sometimes she'd pull out a book to write about only to see his noted already stuck inside. It was bizarre but comforting that someone shared her strange taste.

But there was one book that she pulled out, one she had read in college in a feminist literature course, that had made her heart stop. It was an old book about an abusive relationship between an actor and a historical advisor on a movie set.

She opened the cover, ready to stick her note in, when she saw that Wonho had beaten her to it.

 _Picture Perfect_ \-- How can you not love a story of a woman over coming her demons and coming out on top?

The corners of her lips quirked up before she crumpled up her own note, satisfied with the one he left and put the book back.

\-----

"All done?" She asked, walking towards Wonho, while capping her pen.

He stared at her for a moment before he had the pen cap between his teeth as he scribbled something on the pad. "No, one more."

She waited until he capped his pen and ripped the sticky note off the pad, he looked up at her and reach out to push her bangs off her forehead before pressing the note to her forehead with the tip of his finger before winking at her. "I'll wait out front while you pay."

She watched him walk out the door before pulling it off her head to read the note. She was glad that Wonho was gone because then he wouldn't be able to see the barely noticeable smile that was creeping its way up her lips as she read the note. 

_"Red's my favourite book because she's so damn hard to read_ _."_

\-----

"Alright guys, so we just finished the first collection of poems, so for your homework, I want you to pick one poem and find 2 pairs of rhymes and tw--" Yena's voice trailed off when she saw a pad of sticky notes sitting on her desk.

A small smile worked its way up her lips, but this smile was different than the ones she normally put on display, this one had the smallest, tiniest, most minuscule amount of honesty to it.

She slowly reached out and picked up the pad of sticky notes before using her thumb to flick through them. 

"Um..Miss?"

Yena looked up to see one of her students with their hand raised.

"Two pairs of rhymes and two what?"

She blinked at the student before looking back at the sticky notes. Her smile grew as she straightened her back and pulled more pads of sticky notes out of her desk.

"Actually we're going to do something else. You guys are going to take these sticky notes home and for each poem we read today, I want you to write one thing about it that you like."

"Why are we doing this, Miss?" One student called out from the back.

She smiled and tilted her head, "Because I want to know what makes you guys happy and I think it's important that you guys know what makes you happy too."


	10. Chapter 10

"How was the first day of wedding planning?" Airin asked as the two women walked the halls together the next morning before classes began.

Yena scratched the back of her neck, "A little hectic, but it was survivable. It would've been easier if my maid of honour was there."

"Well, did you invite her?" Airin asked, cluelessly.

Yena held back her smile, "No, but I probably should…Airin, do you think you could come with me, to the next wedding planning meeting?"

"Wh--oh my god!" Airin shrieked, attracting the stares of some students passing by, "Are you serious? Are you really asking me to be your maid of honour?"

Yena giggled while nudging her friend in the arm, "Shh, you're so loud and the kids are staring yes, of course I'm asking you to be my maid of honour, who else is better qualified? What do you say?"

"Of course I'll be your maid of honour. Oh my god, this is awesome, thank you so much!" She said while shimmying her shoulders, "I thought you were going to pick someone more…you know, suitable from your circle." She said seriously.

Yena made a face, "Don't be silly, no one is more in _my circle_ and suitable than you. I wouldn't want anyone else."

"Awwww, I love you, you're the best." Airin said with a grin while hooking her arm through Yena's.

Yena's attention was suddenly pulled away when screaming started coming from the bathrooms up ahead. Yena and Airin shared stunned looks before they jogged down the halls, in search of the source of the sound. Soon enough, they found a group of girls circling the door of the bathroom while one of them held the door open.

"What's going on here?" Airin asked with knit brows.

One of the girls turned, surprising the two women when they saw tears in her eyes and pointed into the bathroom, "Something happened to her. She's not waking up! Do something!"

Yena pushed through the gaggle of girls and felt her heart stop when she saw Jiaen passed out in a small pool of her own vomit.

"Oh my god, Airin call the ambulance. Girls, go to your classes. NOW!" Yena ordered roughly as she ran to Jiaen while pulling her cardigan off. She balled it up and tucked it under Jiaen's head before checking her pulse.

A small sense of relief washed over her when she felt the soft but weak beating of Jiaen's heart. Yena's hands trembled as she reached out and held Jiaen's cold hand but just as her fingers curled around her palm, she felt something tight in Jiaen's grip.

Yena uncurled Jiaen's fist and let out a breath when she saw the same toothbrush she had seen Jiaen use before tucked in between her fingers. She replaced the toothbrush with her fingers, lacing them together and squeezing them tightly. Yena closed her eyes and leaned her head against the stall and let out a shaky breath.

"Damn it."

\-----

"She's very unstable right now, looking at the basic tests we ran, it seems that she's been forcing herself to throw up for about 6 months now. She's severely dehydrated and has an abnormally large stomach ulcer forming that could've led to a ruptured stomach if she hadn't come to the hospital. Her heart beat had slowed down to a dangerous speed which was why she passed out today and she's lucky because if it slowed down any more, it could've been fatal." The doctor told Yena as they stood outside Jiaen's hospital room.

Yena twisted her fingers together, "What's going to happen to her now?"

"Once she wakes up, the focus is going to be to fill her with nutrients, have her eat and drink more and just rest. She's going to be very weak for a while so we'll probably keep her at the hospital to run some tests and then I'm probably going to sit down and have a talk with her and her parents so we can come up with a rehab or therapy plan for Jiaen. Speaking of which, do you know when her parents are coming?"

Yena checked her phone, "Soon. The school called them when the ambulance came and they said they were 30 minutes away, her homeroom teacher is also going to meet us here since she knows Jiaen a bit better than I do."

"Well, Jiaen's awake now so if you'd like to wait with her until her parents arrive, feel free to do so." The doctor said with a comforting smile before walking away.

Yena let out a breath before slowly opening the door and stepping into Jiaen's hospital room where the girl was laying on a bed with an IV drip attached to her arm. Yena didn't know how she hadn't noticed it when she caught the girl before, with her makeup washed off her face, Jiaen's eyes were sunken in with evident purplish-grey eye bags that were so dark that they almost looked painted on. Her cheeks were dotted with acne, Yena did some research on her phone when she waited for the doctor and learned that acne was a common side effect to bulimia due to the change in hormones. There were small bald spots on her hair that she had covered previously with clip on extensions and her skin lost its natural colour and was a sickly grey. Without her school blazer, Yena could see how frail Jiaen's arms were, her ribs poking through her hospital gown.

Yena moved slowly as Jiaen's eyes tracked her tiredly until she was seated next to her bed. "Your parents are coming soon."

"Great." Jiaen said sarcastically as she sank deeper against the mattress.

Yena stayed silent, the stale hospital air hanging between them as neither of them spoke, before the tension finally got to Jiaen.

"Does everyone at school know?" She croaked out.

Yena pursed her lips, "None of the faculty are going to say anything but I can't guarantee the same from the girls who found you in the bathroom. I'm not sure how much they know, there's a chance they just think you got sick and passed out."

"Shit." Jiaen muttered under her breath before sliding her eyes towards Yena, "Aren't you going to tell me to watch my language?" 

Yena raised her brow, "I think I can let this one pass."

"I can't believe this happened." Jiaen groaned while rubbing her face.

Yena leaned back in her chair and her eyes softened, "Want to tell me what's going on?"

"No." She snorted while turning head away.

"You're going to need to get your story straight for the doctor and your parents, you might as well practice it on me first." Yena suggested.

Jiaen stayed silent for a moment before slowly turning her head back so that she could face Yena, "I was hung-over. Alcohol poisoning."

"Oh, that's a good one, except the doctor already ran tests and didn't find a single drop of alcohol in your blood. Try again." Yena said simply.

Jiaen's hands shakily turned into fists as her eyes slowly glazed over. "I don't _want_ to try again."

"So how about you tell me what you _want_ to say." Yena said softly.

Jiaen tried to give her a scathing look, but it looked tired instead, "Why does that matter?"

"Humour me." Yena prompted.

Jiaen looked unimpressed, "I'd rather not."

Yena stood up, her eyes dark, "Do you realize that you almost _died_ today? You almost passed out and didn't wake up. You didn't fail an exam, you didn't forget your textbook and you didn't miss class. You almost died!"

Yena didn't let her speak, as her own voice continued to raise, " _That's_ why it matters. Because if you're willing to risk your life and nearly _die_ you better have a damn good reason. So I'll give you one more chance, what would you want to say?"

Jiaen let out a breath and stared at the ceiling, frustrated, but her eyes brimmed to the edges with tears. 

"I-I wan-nt to say that…I just wanted to be pretty. I just wanted to look in the mirror and see something I _liked_ for once. I was sick and tired of walking past mirrors with my eyes looking away because I was too nervous to see how I looked. I-I just wanted to feel beautiful and…this was supposed to work." She croaked out as the tears spilled down her cheeks.

Yena pursed her lips, holding back her own tears when she heard Jiaen's trembling voice, "Why don't you feel like that already? You're beautiful, Jiaen." 

"Ms. Ahn, do you know what my parents do for a living?" Jiaen whimpered out.

Yena tilted her head with knit brows, "I don't."

"They own an entertainment agency. Idols, actors and actresses, models, you name it, they're signed to it. If you Google 'most beautiful Korean celebrities,' 90% of them are from my parents' agency."

Jiaen wiped her face before continuing, "Do you know how that feels? To see people that beautiful whenever you visit your parents at work? When I went to _Take Your Daughter to Work Day_ , I saw some of the thinnest idols being given even stricter diet, telling them to lose _more_ weight. "

Yena nodded in sympathy but her tone was still stern, "It's a tough industry but it's part of their job, Jiaen, not yours. You shouldn't compare yourself to someone whose physical appearance is what they count on for a living. Or someone who has professional trainers and dieticians helping them manage their weight."

Jiaen shook her head, "No, you don't understand. It's not about comparing myself to them. Did you know that my parents missed my elementary school graduation because they went to one their artists' graduation instead? That's when I realized that I'm not the kind of daughter they wanted and maybe if I looked more like one of their artists, then maybe they'd be less embarrassed of me. Whether they admit it or not, they'd rather have one of those idols as their daughters instead of me."

"Your parents only favour the artists that bring in good money, I don't think they're emba--"

"You know it worked? After the first few days, my parents started smiling at me, telling me that I looked different, pretty, that I was glowing. I was even supposed to walk the red carpet with my dad for one of his actor's premieres. He never used to take me to those but he did now, he even bought me a dress to wear. I couldn't stop, not when they were actually paying attention to me." Her hands were shaking as she fisted her blanket. 

Yena sat down and inched her chair closer to Jiaen before carefully holding her hand, "Jiaen, you should not have to _try_ to get someone to love you and someone who only finds your worth when you look a certain way isn't the type of person who will give you the kind of love you need."

"They're my parents." She breathed out.

Yena nodded while biting her lip, "Which is exactly why the way you look shouldn't change how much they love you. The fact that they are means that they're horrible parents and that it's not your fault they don't love you, it's theirs. Instead of killing yourself over trying to get someone else to love you, you could pamper and spoil yourself until _you_ love you."

"You can't just throw cutesy words at me and expect everything to have a nice, neat solution." Jiaen bit back.

Yena nodded with a sad smile, "I know, sweetheart, I know. It'll be so hard and you'll have to trust yourself and rely on yourself to get through this, but if you promise me that you'll stop doing this to yourself and that you'll agree to go to therapy, then maybe there's a way that we can for you to love yourself more than anyone else could. I know I'm not your teacher and you don't know me well, but you don't have to do this alone, I'll be there for you."

"Mr and Mrs. Song are here as well as Jiaen's homeroom teacher." A nurse said abruptly before holding the door open for the guests.

Yena let go of Jiaen's hand and stood up with her hands folded in front of her. Jiaen's parents walked in, both thin and beautiful, looking like celebrities themselves, as they looked around and surveyed the room.

"The doctor said you'll need to stay overnight. We'll come pick you up tomorrow." Mrs. Song said to her daughter while scanning Yena up and down.

Jiaen glanced at Yena who looked unhappy and uncomfortable, "Have either of you spoken to Jiaen's doctor?"

"We have and we'd like to thank you for waiting with Jiaen until we got here, but we've got this handled, Ms.Ahn. This is a family matter and we'd like to resolve it as such." Mr. Song said.

Yena bowed before walking toward the door but stopped before looking over her shoulder, "The doctor recommends therapy as part of Jiaen's rehabilitation process. I'd like it if she gives the dates to her future sessions to the school's guidance counsellor so we have it on record."

"We'll see about that. Therapy isn't exactly the solution to an eating disorder." Her mother said stiffly.

Yena turned to face them, her eyes darting to Jiaen who looked like she was going to pass out. She took a deep breath before walking up to her parents.

"No, you will not _see_. That girl needs all the help she can get and that also includes yours. Therapy is exactly what Jiaen needs and if she doesn't receive it, then I doubt you'll be able to help her overcome this. That is, if you even care if she does."

Mr.Song laughed, "Excuse me?"

"She almost died today and I don't want to tell you how to raise your daughter, but if she was my child, I would do everything I could to make sure nothing ever happened to her and that she never felt the need to put herself in danger for my approval." Yena voice did not shake as she met the eyes of the Songs.

Mrs. Song's face was stiff before a slow laugh bubbled out of her lips, "I will never understand what Namjoon saw in you. You charity cas--"

"Mom."

Silence fell over the room as everyone turned to Jiaen who was crying silently, "I want help. I-I want to go to therapy."

"Jiaen, you know that it's not that simple. If the tabloids found out then--"

"Then what?" Jiaen rasped out, "There are more articles about you and your favourite idols than there are about me. The tabloids don't care about your daughter and I don't even know if you do but honestly? I don't care, I don't care if you do or not, but I want to care about myself or at least I want to learn how to. I think therapy will help me do that, then I won't need you to approve of me because I'd have myself."

Jiaen closed her eyes for a moment before speaking, "The doctor gave me some recommendations. I want to try them out and find one that fits me."

Mrs. Song glared at Yena before scoffing, "Bu--"

"Fine." Mr. Song said. "We'll pay for your therapy."

He turned to him wife while giving Yena a dirty look, "Let's go."

"Oh, and Mrs. Song?"

The woman clenched her jaw tight and jaw Yena a look, "What?"

"Feel free to ask Namjoon why he's with me. Maybe he'll clear that up for you."

\-----

"Are you going? The rest of us wanted to but we're all busy, in fact I'm heading back to work in a bit."

Wonho pulled a sweater over his head before nodding at Hyungwon who was standing by his door, "Yeah, I figured why the hell not. Give the kid some support, though I doubt he'll need it."

"By the way, I grabbed coffee with Danah today. That was a surprise. I haven't seen that bitch in years." Hyungwon said while sitting on Wonho's bed.

Wonho laughed as he strapped a wristwatch on, "I keep forgetting that you two talk to each other like that."

"It was nice seeing her. She's hot now, I mean, she was hot before but now she's…damn."

Wonho bursted out laughing before throwing one of his dirty socks at him, "You're lucky he isn't here to whoop your ass."

Hyungwon laughed while dodging the sock, "What he doesn't know, right?"

Wonho's smile fell slightly as he turned to grab his leather jacket off the back of the chair and slipped it over his shoulders. Hyungwon watched his friend's expression shift before he sighed in resignation.

"Did her visit rattle you?"

Wonho smiled slightly before scrunching his face up, "It was nice seeing an old face. I felt bad that I've been avoiding her, it made me think that all 8 of us need to grab dinner soon."

"I figured it would've been hard on you. Even I was shaken up, seeing her, no matter how hot she became, brought back a lot of memories, good ones but also…not so good ones. I guess we were just worried, all of us were." He said softly.

Wonho's lips curved up as he sat next to his friend on the bed, "Did Jooheon cry when he saw her?"

"You bet and Kihyun squealed."

Wonho smiled as he rubbed his face, "I think her visit was a test and I think I passed."

"Well good for you."

Wonho shook his head teasingly and stood up, "I'm going to head out."

"But you don't need to get there for another hour, what are you going to do for an hour?" Hyungwon pointed out.

Wonho grabbed a pack of cigarettes off his desk and smiled at his friend, "I don't know, I just like getting places early."

\-----

Yena didn't even bother to try to wait and see if Namjoon would be coming home, she figured that either the Songs or Principle Im had already contacted him and she wasn't sure what story he would be fed and she didn't want to find out. She didn't want to see how furious he'd be with her after he specifically told her to back off on the Songs.

Instead, she took a quick shower and changed her clothes before sitting alone in her car in the garage, marking papers with the radio playing softly in the background. To Yena, it seemed like a simple solution, but to anyone else, they'd feel pity to see a woman so terrified of her fiancé's disappointment that she was afraid of being in a house that he wasn't even in.

A few hours later, when she was contemplating her chances of running inside and grabbing something to eat, she got a short text from Namjoon, telling her he wasn't coming back until after midnight.

For the first time, Yena felt relief to see a text like that instead of the reoccurring disappointment.

She was finally able to walk back into her house, the one with the suffocating silence, without worrying and could kill time until 10PM rolled around. She made herself a cup of tea and tried to let the events of today evaporate from her mind and relax. 

But there was a strange bubbling feeling in her gut that had her antsy and distracted and it got to the point that at 9:30, she was sitting on the couch in front of the turned off television, staring at the cable box until it turned 10PM.

For the first time, she felt excited.

\-----

"What is this place?" She whispered as they walked into a dimly lit coffee shop.

When Yena found Wonho at their usual meeting spot at the park, his cigarette was already crushed against the cement and it made her wonder how much earlier than her, he had got there, waiting. However, before she could ask, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her out of the park with rushed exclamations of _We're late! We need to hurry if we want to make it in time_. Never once clarifying what _it_ was.

All the tables inside the coffee shop had been removed and replaced with rows and rows of chairs, filled with people, facing a small stage that had a single microphone and stool placed in the center.

"Are you going to sing?" She gaped as he brought her to two empty chairs in the middle of the shop.

Wonho snorted and glanced over his shoulder, his eyes, once again, scanning over her running outfit. He was curious why she always dressed like that even though he had never seen her go running at night ever since that day that she got attacked.

"No, I'm not going to sing, Red, unless it's to serenade you and win your heart, then I might do it." He teased as the pair of them took a seat.

Yena ignored his comment and looked around before her eyes landed on a sign hung up on near the counter.

"A poetry slam?" She asked incredulously, "Isn't that a bit pretentious and hipster-y…even for you?"

Wonho chuckled and leaned close to her so that he could mutter in her ear, "Oh 100%. I would not be caught dead at one."

"So why exactly are we here?" She murmured before turning her head to look at him.

Wonho stilled, his heart feeling strange to say the least when the pair of them locked eyes. He took a sharp intake of air before smiling slowly.

"There's one guy that I particularly like despite the pretentiousness."

Yena looked stared at his profile, when he turned away, his lips grew into a larger smile at the sound of someone tapping the microphone and clearing their throat. Yena turned to the stage and watched as a handsome young boy, looking about 5 years younger than her, stand in front of the crowd.

He had a beanie pulled over his brown hair and a solid black piercing in one ear. He wore black skinny jeans and a white t-shirt under a denim jacket.

"He looks like a younger you." She said under her breath.

Wonho snorted quietly, "You mean a less handsome, younger me."

Yena said nothing and instead focused on the stage, when he smiled, the crowd started cheering and whistling, especially some of the girls seated in the front row. A small laugh bubbled out of her lips, catching Wonho's attention.

"Hey everybody, how are ya'll doing tonight? My name is I.M."

Yena let out a breathless chuckle when another round of cheer erupted especially when Wonho joined in.

"Well looks like the crowd is alive tonight." He said with a laugh, "I have a quick piece tonight, I wrote it in between cramming for midterms."

Wonho leaned down to Yena's ear, "The reason why he's so popular is because he doesn't recite poetry…he raps it."

I.M. took the microphone off of its stand and the music started slowly before the lyrics came out.

_I see myself in the dusty mirror_   
_As I deny the endlessly twisting days that they say will pass some day  
With the merciless and dark night  
I covered myself with the blanket in my dark room  
Should I forget all the streets that we remember?  
But I’m already regretting  
Is it too hard to catch you again?  
I still see you above in the sky  
Your face like the blue moon_

_I’m fine thank you and you_   
_Just asking, this might be the last conversation of you  
Long time movie’s overdue have to say bye sign que  
I let out a sigh, I think I should tell you  
Have to say the truth baby  
My lover  
You’re gonna be the past perfect  
I’m sick and tired of this bullshit  
We were so passionately in love  
But the fire of our love is extinguished by your tears  
Let’s get blind for a sec_

He went on for a little while longer, his lyrics getting lost in the story he was telling of a broken relationship that was only being held together by delusion and nostalgia. The beat slowly pounded in the background until his words trailed off and the music faded away into a stunned, breathless silence. There was a pregnant pause that hung in the air as he caught his breath before the entire shop were on their feet, clapping and hollering.

Yena looked over at Wonho and was in awe of the proud look and the undeniable gleam in his eyes as he cupped the sides of his mouth to cheer for his friend. Soon he was up on his feet, standing on the chair clapping loudly, his eyes curved up in bright crescents with the type of unconditional, brotherly love that she had never seen before.

And soon enough, she was on her feet as well, clapping along with everyone else.

I.M.'s persona quickly changed, his eyes lightened and his lips split into a bashful grin as he scratched the back of his neck. When he stepped off the stage, he was greeted by a small group of guys and girls who were cheering.

I.M.'s eyes scanned over their heads and around the coffee shop before they landed on Wonho. His smile grew bigger as he waved happily at his friend. Wonho waved back before shooting him a thumbs up.

When Wonho jumped off the chair and turned away from I.M., Yena looked at him in confusion, "Aren't you going to hang out with him or go up and talk to him?"

"And leave you all by yourself? I wouldn't dream of it." He said cheekily.

Yena gave him a blank look, "I'm being serious."

"This is usually the time he spends with his fan girls." He replied while nodding at I.M.

"Ah." Yena said knowingly, understanding the implication. 

The crowd started shifting, some moving towards I.M. to compliment his work, while others were moving to the counter to order a drink. Yena was getting shoved and crowded up as newcomers entered the shop, adding to the hectic energy.

He placed a gentle hand on her lower back to guide her through the crowd, "Come on, let's go."

Yena stiffed at the sudden contact, her eyes darting to his when his warmth spread slowly across her back. Wonho gulped before removing his hand and instead, pointed at the door. The pair of them exited the shop before walking along the street, finally getting fresh air.

"So, how was work?" He asked casually.

She looked over at him before frowning, "Why do you ask?"

"My friend's part of a pretty big law firm, apparently the school you work for has the firm on retainer and they were asked to come in because of a medical incident that happened. He told me about it, he said they didn't end up needing the lawyer." He admitted. Shownu had mentioned the incident, just as a light-hearted anecdote, but when he did, Wonho's thoughts had shot to Yena.

She pursed her lips, "So there's a motive behind your question."

"Of course." He said while walking next to her. "Your well being."

She snorted while pulling her hood over her hair, "How would you know if my well-being was in jeopardy if it was a student who fell ill?" 

"I don't know, to be honest, in fact it'd be more likely if it wasn't. I just figured since that academy has a small faculty, news travels fast. I wanted to segway into your thoughts." He said honestly.

She rubbed her face, the days exhaustion setting in, "My thoughts. Why would care about my thoughts?"

"Red, please, you know that I could spend the rest of my life listening to your thoughts." He grinned while nudging her with his elbow.

Wonho licked his lips when a tired laugh croaked left her mouth, but as quickly as it escaped, it was replaced with a serious expression.

"One of the older students from my school almost died today. _That_ was the medical incident."

Wonho stiffened before his face became emotionless, washed over in darkness, as he turned to her, "How?"

Yena kept her head down, her fists curling inside her pockets, "She's bulimic and I knew. I knew and I didn't do anything about it and today some students found her passed out. If she didn't go to the hospital or if she hit her head when she passed out, she could've died."

"Why…why didn't you do anything if you knew?" His voice wasn't accusatory but instead held genuine curiosity.

"I tried." She whispered to herself. "I tired but no one listened to me, so I didn't press it until today. I was a coward. She passed out and was taken to the hospital. I finally...said something about it."

Wonho nodded, his face still thoughtful and distant, "How did that feel?"

"Strange, I guess. Terrifying."

Wonho looked over at her, taking in her the look of her face when her cheeks, nose and ears were red from the cold, "What's going to happen to her now?"

"Her parents are pulling her out of school for a while and she's going to get therapy and they're hiring dietician or something to make sure she eats enough each day." She said.

"Well that's good isn't it? She had a problem, sure, and it sucks that she almost died, but she's getting the help she needs to get better."

Yena shook her head, feeling drained. "But her parents don't care at all. They don't care that their daughter almost died on the bathroom floor. They don't care that she's having such self-esteem and body image problems that she turned to making herself throw up. That she's hurting herself just to get their approval. If they loved her like _real_ parents should, then maybe she would've learned to love herself."

It was almost humorous how the irony of her statement flew over both their heads.

Wonho stared at her before letting out a breath, "Careful." He murmured softly when she got too close to the road. He pulled her over by the crook of her arm so that she was standing on the other side of him, on the inside of the sidewalk while he walked on the outside, closer to the road where cars sped past.

"A parent can't make their child love themselves, though. No matter how many times that student hears her mother call her pretty, it won't matter unless _she_ believes it herself." He said to her when she looked up at him.

"Right, but don't you see? How is a girl that young supposed to believe that _she_ is beautiful when she's surrounded by people who make her feel that she's not worth their time? That she's a burden?" She exclaimed, her voice rising higher than her normal quiet tone.

His lips were turned down in a thoughtful frown at he listened to her rant.

"No one's ever grounded her. No one's ever gotten mad at her. No one's every raised their voice at her. No one's ever been disappointed in her. No one's ever told her that she did something wrong." She said as she started waved her hands around.

"Isn't that a good thing for most kids?" Wonho countered.

"No. It means that no one's ever cared about her." Yena breathed out.

Wonho tilted his head and peered at her, "Except you."

"Wh-Me? No. Not me. I don't know Jiaen. I spoke to her like two times." She said while making a face.

Wonho raised his brow with a challenging glint in his eye, "You spoke to her two times and yet all those things that you said that no one's ever done to her, you did them all, didn't you?"

"Yeah but I don't count." She said with a sardonic laugh.

"Why? Because you're just a teacher?" He said while walking in front of her and turning around so that he could face her while walking backwards.

She lifted her head and met his eyes while shrugging, "Well yeah, her parents are the ones who should be doing all of that."

"You're right, they should but they're not and you make it sound like they're not going to change. And isn't it even the smallest bit meaningful that that student agreed to get help right after you started nosing your way into her life, even if it was just twice?" He said before biting down on his lip.

"I guess." She said quietly as she thought it over. She just figured that whatever she had said to Jiaen went in one ear and out the other and that the girl was just pretending to be agreeable just to get her off her back.

Maybe…maybe she'd visit Jiaen.

A slow smile worked its way up his lips, "You're strange, Red."

"How?" She deadpanned.

He stopped in his tracks, effectively stopping her as well as they faced each other in the middle of the sidewalk, under a lamppost in the middle of the night, "You stopped me in the middle of a grocery store to tell me all the reasons why teachers are so important in helping lay the foundation for the futures of young kids but now, when I'm trying to give you the _smallest_ bit of credit for the things you do as a teacher, you're brushing it off like it doesn't matter. Like _you_ don't matter. It's…peculiar."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I still have about two dozen more chapters left before I even scratch the surface of trying to read you, Red." He said with a cute smile.

"You're like a colouring book." She blurted out.

Wonho blinked rapidly at her in surprise before a slow, ecstatic smile split out of his face, "Do tell, Red."

Her eyes widened in a panic, "Um…well I guess, I mean, you know how the whole point of a colouring book is to colour a picture that is already drawn out for you? And there's sometimes even numbers associated with each blank section of the drawing that tells you what colour goes where."

"Oh, yes, I understand the basic concept of colouring books, Red." He said jokingly.

She nodded while gulping, her uncaring demeanour that she usually had around him, crumbling as she fumbled for a response. She wasn't used to being put on the spot like this and she was even less used to blurting out the first thing that comes to mind.

"Right, well, I think that you're a person who the universe has already drawn the outline for. The universe already knows what kind of person you are and exactly what you're going to become, but, you don't like that the universe already has you figured out so you're the type who goes rogue and you colour yourself in however you want, ignoring when other people tell you that you're using the wrong colours. You colour the sky purple and the ocean green because that's the way you like it and, and…and…why are you staring at me like that?"

He shook his head in disbelief before letting out a mirthful laugh, "Jesus Christ, Red, you are _fucking_ amazing."

\-----

"Why are you smiling?"

Yena kicked her running shoes off before looking up to see Namjoon staring at her with narrowed eyes with a mug in his hand.

Was she smiling? She hadn't noticed, she thought that she was just…she was just being normal.

The smile in question started to fade as she stared at him, "W-What? What do you mean?"

"I mean, why are you smiling to yourself at 12AM after you came back from a run. Is something wrong with you? You look crazy." He asked as he tapping his foot repeatedly on the floor.

Yena's lips opened but nothing came out as she tried and failed to come up with an excuse, she half expected to hear him get angry about the Song incident, but instead he was upset that she was smiling? She wasn't expecting that type of response.

"I-I hadn't realized…I didn't mean to smile." She said quickly.

"You should be careful. If you go out at night, alone, running in tight clothes, smiling like a naïve maniac might give someone the wrong idea."

Her eyes flinched and her skin grew uncomfortably warm as her heart pounded, "What do mean 'wrong idea'?"

She asked, but she was terribly aware of his implication.

"Someone might take a smile as an invitation." He replied.

She shook her head even though her entire body was shaking, "I-I don't understand."

He smirked and walked to the stairs with a simple, harmless shrug, "We wouldn't want something bad to happen to you in the middle of night because you smiled at the wrong person, would we?"


	11. Chapter 11

"I haven't heard much about you and Heiress A in the papers recently, did you torpedo that relationship or was it so hot and heavy that even the tabloids couldn't post pictures of it?"

Shownu flinched in surprise when he walked into his office to find Wonho stretched out on his couch, flipping through a magazine.

"Shit, what are you doing here? Who let you in?" He muttered while dropping files on his desk.

Wonho hummed while flipping through the pages, "I'm cute and your secretary has a soft spot for cute guys."

"My secretary is 50 and has been married for 25. What are you talking about?" Shownu snorted.

Wonho pursed his lips before smiling cheekily at his friend, "What can I say? I have a soft spot for older women who offer me brownies."

"Don't you have work?" Shownu asked with a snort.

"I don't have any clients until noon, the guys are busy, you on the other hand, terrify every single person you work with other than your father so I figured you had some work wiggle room to slack off and entertain me." Wonho closed the magazine and tossed it on the coffee table.

Shownu looked up at him from his table before pouting, "People aren't terrified of me."

"Look at you! You're built like a tank and your face is in a permanent frown. What do you expect? It's not like your employees see the way you baby Changkyun or do whatever Minhyuk wants." Wonho teased.

"I don't do _whatever_ Minhyuk says." Shownu mumbled while making an unpleasant face and looked at the papers in front of him before Wonho spoke up.

"Look, I'm happy for you. Really."

Shownu stopped reading and looked up from his papers at him, "Yeah?"

"Yeah, we like fucking with you, because you're _stoic-as-a-tree_ , Shownu, but if you're really dating this woman, we're happy for you." Wonho said softly.

His friend smiled at the sentiment, "If you tell anyone this, I'll murder you but…she's the heiress to a chain of hotels. We met when I went with my father to help her father draw up a contract for a new partnership. She's a good woman."

"I'm glad because ever since the divorce, lassiez faire Shownu sort of vanished." Wonho pointed out.

Shownu grinned and rubbed his eyes, "It's called growing up."

"No, it's called you're finally getting laid on a regular basis, so you're a lot kinder." Wonho said while pointing at him.

Shownu sneered, "Don't be vulgar. This is a place of business."

Wonho smiled brightly, "To you, maybe."

"Oh! Wonho, how are you doing son?" Shownu's father exclaimed when he walked into his son's office.

Wonho beamed at the older man, "I'm great, Mr. Son. Just thought I'd drop by and say hi to my lovely sweetheart."

"Very, good. I just wanted to drop by and see if you filed the depositions for Thursday, Show."

Shownu hummed, "I sent them off already and do you mind telling that one over there to stop distracting me from my billable hours?"

His father looked over at Wonho before shrugging, "Come by more often, Wonho, please."

"Christ." Shownu muttered under his breath.

Shownu's father shifted on his feet, "Have they tried to contact you? Anyone from there?"

"I got a phone call, didn't last long enough for them to tell me what they want, but after the settlement offer, I think I could put two and two together." Wonho said simply.

Shownu's expression grew serious as his father cleared his throat, "We can still press charges."

"It won't be long before one of them shows up at your house or shop." His father added in.

"What exactly could I even charge them for?" Wonho asked in amusement.

"Stalking, harassment, emotional distress, we could even try to get a restraining order on them."

Wonho shook his head before standing up, "I need to get back to work."

"You could make them pay. Why won't you do something about it?" Shownu asked gently.

Wonho smiled to himself, a strange warmth expanding across his chest, before stepping out of the door.

"What can I say? I like colouring the ocean green."

\-----

"It's been two days, Ms. Ahn, her progress will be and currently is very slow. The mere fact that Jiaen was willing to ask for help is a huge leap for her."

"I understand, I guess I was just concerned." Yena said awkwardly.

Jiaen had settled on a young female therapist and was seeing her 3 times a week, "I understand, Ms. Ahn and frankly, I'm glad you're this invested in this girl because it doesn't seem that there are many adults who are in her life. In fact, she seems to actually have quite an attachment to you."

"Well, hopefully it'll help her work whatever she needs, out." Yena said graciously.

"I think it will and I think it will also help if she knows that she has some sort of adult figure to look up to." The doctor said kindly.

Yena's smile faltered, "Oh, I'm hardly someone she should look up to, she barely knows me."

"You'd be mistaken, Ms. Ahn, children aren't as critical as we think they are. They see the world in a more raw way. They see people at face value, they rely on their human instinct whereas adult rely on their biased judgements first. Images and façades don't trick kids as well as they trick adults." The therapist said.

Yena nodded with a scoff, "Yes, well, her first impression of me was _bitch_."

The therapist laughed, "I'm not surprised, she was having a hard time, but _bitch_ turned into _my favourite teacher._ "

"Really?" Yena asked her with a smile.

The therapist nodded slightly, "Kids needs their parents and parents need their kids but they don't always need to be in the literal sense. It's an innate need in a human being to rely on their parents or look to them for guidance, however, there is also a need within parents to rely on their children in times of need, although that need is harder to access."

\-----

Yena walked out of the psychiatrist's office, Jiaen's therapist's last words echoing in the back of her mind. She bit down on the inside of her cheek, her heart beating guiltily against her ribs as she turned the corner and leaned against the cement wall.

She licked her lips and pulled her cell phone out of her purse and stared at her contacts before slowly pressing dial. She breathed in deeply and let out a stuttering breath a couple of times before the person on the other end picked up.

"Honey! Oh, Yena, how are you?" A bubbly voice chipped through the phone.

A small smile worked up her lips, "Hi, mom. I'm good. How are you?"

"Oh sweetheart, we're great, just watching our shows." Her mother sang happily.

Yena laughed softly, "That’s good. I just wanted to call and check in and, maybe talk about dad."

"Oh, you want to talk to your father? Okay, hold on."

"Wait! Mom! I wan--"

"Yena, hi, honey."

Yena sighed at her mother's confusion before smiling, "Hi, dad."

"I'm watching this program right now, it's really funny, the actors are great, come downstairs and watch it with us. I think you'd like it." Her father encouraged, happily.

Yena's smile fell as she fisted her hand, "D-Dad, I'm not upstairs. I'm not at home, I'm in Seoul."

"What are you doing in Seoul?" His crackly voiced asked in confusion.

Yena closed her eyes, her bottom lip trembling, "I live in Seoul now, dad. I've lived here since I started college. You and mom helped me move in, it's been 6 years."

"6 years? It hasn't been 6 years. I saw you yesterday." He said defiantly.

Yena slid down the wall and crouched into a ball, "No, you didn't, dad. I haven't visited home in 10 months."

"Why didn't you visit?" He sounded so lost and confused, her heart was hurting. 

"I've been a little busy dad, and we've been planning for the wedding recently an--"

"Whose wedding?" He asked, shocked.

Yena took in a deep breath before quietly whispered, "Mine."

"You're not getting married, hon." Her father said with a ridiculous laugh. "Why would you get married?"

Yena hugged her knees and rested her chin on her knees, "Yeah I am dad, I told you about it a long time ago. I'm marrying Namjoon."

"Who?" Her father asked distractedly.

"Namjoon. Kim Namjoon." She repeated, knowing full well that the next time she spoke to him, he wouldn't remember the name.

"I don't know who that is." Her father said with certainty.

She closed her eyes, causing tears to spill over her cheeks, "I've showed you a picture of him, dad. You know him. Remember?"

"I don't know any Kim Namjoon." Her father said skeptically.

Yena wiped her face and tried to compose herself, "Well, I'm marrying him in 5 months, maybe we'll be able to visit you ahead of time."

"I don't want to meet him." He said flippantly, she could already see him waving his hands dramatically.

"Dad--" She begged.

"Do you want to talk to your mother? I'll give her the phone." He said abruptly.

"Wait dad, I--"

"Honey?" Her mom's voice said in a chipper tone.

Yena groaned and rubbed her eyes, "Mom, dad's dementia is getting worse. We should talk about getting him some care."

"It's okay, honey. We'll be fine. I can take care of your father." Her mother said dismissively.

"And who is going to take care of you?" Yena whimpered.

"Your father will. And the lady next door is nice, too."

"Mom--"

"Oh honey, the commercials just ended, I'll need to go. Call soon and visit, alright dear?"

Yena pressed her forehead against her knees and hummed, "Y-Yeah. I miss you guys. Take care of yourselves."

\-----

"I set up a brunch date for you tomorrow."

Yena's eyes lit up when she watched Namjoon set his briefcase down while rubbing his teeth, "Oh! Where are we going? Won't you have work?"

" _We_ aren't going anywhere. It's for you and your bridal party, the wedding planner will be there, you'll do some planning together." He said while pulling his jacket off and hanging it up.

Her smile faltered, that meant she'd have to see all those wives she never talked to, the ones nearly twice her own age. She grit her teeth as she nodded, "O-Oh of course. I'll pick up Airin from her apartmen--"

"I didn't invite her." He said simply.

Yena's brows knit together. "I thought we agreed that she would be part of the bridal party."

"Whoops." He said with a pleasant smile.

Yena's fingers curled into a tight fist but when Namjoon's eyes flickered to her hands, she quickly released the fist and laced her fingers behind her back.

"I didn't have her number, what was I do to?" He asked in amusement.

Yena didn't find the conversation as entertaining, "I'll call her myself."

"Fine, but don't pick her up, she lives in the sketchy side of town, we all know what happens when you're alone in neighbourhoods like hers."

"I've dropped her off at her place before, after work, it's not that bad." She defended.

His smile stiffened as he stepped up to her, "What has gotten into you?"

"Nothing." She replied quickly, averting her eyes to her feet. "Nothing. I'll call her cab."

He stared at her, long and hard, before turning away, "I'm going to go shower."

"Wait!" She exclaimed, "Umm…do you think we could visit my parents? At least once before the wedding, please." She begged softly.

Namjoon closed his eyes, "Yena, your parents live on an island. You need a flight to get there before sitting on a bus for 2 hours. I don't have the time, but nothing's stopping you."

"But I want us to go together." She mumbled.

"Mrs. Song gave me a call today, asked me a very strange question with very little added context." He said suddenly, stopping her from further pressing the issue.

Yena's heart started beating as her it sunk to her bottom of her stomach, "What did she ask?"

"She asked me why I am with you and said that I would have the answer for that. Do you know what that's about?" He said while arching a brow.

She shook her head while twisting her fingers nervously, "No idea…what did you say to her?"

"I said that it's because I know how much you need me." He walked up the stairs before looking back at her, "Are you going for a run?"

"Yes." She whispered.

"Be careful."

\-----

"Guess who's late this time."

Yena rolled her eyes and strolled up to Wonho who was taking a final drag of his cigarette, letting his pass through his clenched teeth. She walked up to him and waited until he dropped the cigarette and stubbed it out with his heel.

"You've been smoking more." She stated.

He raised his brow and grinned, "What makes you say that?"

"There are two cigarettes on the ground, not one. You had two today, you never have two. That can't be good for you." She pointed out.

Wonho bit down on his lip and stepped closer to her so that there was only a couple of inches between them, "Awww, Red, have you been paying attention to me?"

Yena locked eyes with him but froze when she saw the foreign look in his eyes, one she had never seen before, one that she didn't recognize.

"Of course I have."

He hummed and bent his neck so that they were breathing the same air and murmured low enough to ring through a person's bones, "Are you flirting with me, Red?"

"That's your job. Not mine. Did you bring your car?" She said frankly.

He quirked a brow and held out his hand where a key ring dangled off his index finger, "Just like you texted. Not my car, by the way."

"Let's go." She said before walking to the black jeep sitting on the curb.

Wonho followed her obediently, grinning while looking at the back of her head, "Where exactly are we going?"

She reached the passenger's seat before turning to look at him from across the car, "Since you're always the one that takes me places and attempts to make my boring errands fun, I thought that maybe I should take the lead tonight."

He opened the door to the driver's seat and got in before smiling at her, enthralled by her sudden enthusiasm.

"I'm at your mercy, Red."

After buckling herself in, Yena dug a coin out of her pocket and turned to him, both leaning towards each other over the divider, "Pick a number between 1 and 40."

"28." He said in confusion.

Yena held up the coin, "Heads left and tails right."

Wonho's face started to light up as realization washed over his face. "I like the way you think, Red."

He started to drive, the pair of them falling into a peaceful silence, Yena stared out the window, watching the street lights pass her by. Wonho cracked the window with his arm propped out of it while resting his hand loosely over the wheel.

"I…I enjoy our little trips, if you could call them that."

Wonho blinked before glancing over at Yena who was still staring out the window. He gaped at her and the way that the wind from his cracked window tousled her hair to the point where she had to tuck her hair repeatedly behind her ear.

"Oh my god." He said wistfully in a teasing tone. "You're so cute when you come out of your shell."

"Don't make me take that back." She muttered while rolling the window down and leaned her head out slightly so that the wind combed through her hair. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting the chilly air create a frost over her veins.

Wonho pulled to an intersection and turned to her with a witty remark on his tongue but Yena was already pulling her head out from the window and was placing the coin on her thumb.

She flicked it up into the air and he watched as she caught it with her hand and slapped it on the back of her hand.

"Heads--turn left."

Wonho followed her orders and turned left before cruising down the road. "So we're doing this 28 times at 28 intersections and see where we end up?"

"Yup."

He grinned and tapped his fingers against wheel, "Why the sudden need for spontaneity?"

"Because you're the only person in my life right now that's letting me be reckless, even if it's the tiniest bit. So I'm going to capitalize on that." She said while flipping the coin over her knuckles.

Wonho nodded with an appreciating smile, "I make you feel reckless? That sounds sexy."

She laughed lightly, surprising Wonho who had expected her to roll her eyes or shut him down, instead she just sighed, "I live a very…image conscious life. You, on the other hand, don't seem to know anything about my image, which means that for the brief time each day that I spend with you…I'm not me."

"Oooooor, for the brief time each day that you spend with me…you are the truest version of you, sans the magnificent image." He said while holding back his smile.

Yena flipped the coin again, "Tails--turn right and no, I've been me for the longest I can remember. That's the real me."

"You might be right but you should also remember that time doesn't define who you are." He said as he slowed to a stop to look at her.

She turned to him and met his eyes with a challenge, "How do you know?"

"Because for the longest time, I thought I was a certain type of person until one day I was just…not. That became the _real_ me, not the me I was all those years before."

Yena stared at him, running her teeth along her lips and for the first time since she got to know him, she realized that she didn't know a lot about him or his past.

"26 more to go."

\-----

"So this is where we ended up." Wonho said as they sat in the car, parked in the lot after the pair of them took random turns with no intended destination in mind.

"28 turns later. In the middle of an August night…at the beach." She snorted. 

Wonho opened his door and jumped out, before looking at her, "What are you waiting for, Red? The sea awaits."

\-----

"I could get used to spending time with you, Red." Wonho said as they stood by the river, watching the waves come in and recede back.

Yena hunched her shoulders to brace herself against the ocean's cold breeze. "I don't do much. I just say depressing things and reject any time you try to be nice to me. How are you _getting use to spending time with me_?"

"You have a very calming aura about you. It's very therapeutic for me, you take me down a peg." He said happily. "Plus you're gorgeous so it's a win-win for me."

Yena rolled her eyes and crouched down to hug her knees, "Sooner or later you're going to get yourself punched."

"Girls like a bad boy, right?" He said while looking down at her.

Her lips twitched up as the water pushed up closer to her feet, but not enough to touch her as she shivered, "That's not what you said when you had squirrels after you."

"That's because I have the world's best bodyguard." He said while watching her rub her arms up and down.

Yena let out a breathless laugh, "I guess I know what I'll do if teaching doesn't work out."

She suddenly stiffened when a comforting warmth suddenly surrounded her, wrapping around her in a dangerously intimate way as a thick, cotton scent filled her senses. She touched her arm and her fingers glided across smooth black leather.

She looked up to see Wonho standing next to her in a sweater with the sleeves pushed up. Her eyes landed on his bandaged arm, she could tell he felt her gaze on it but she chose not to speak on it and instead gently tugged it closer to her body.

"Won't you be cold?" She asked softly.

He shrugged nonchalantly, "You're around small kids 8 to 9 hours a day and I'm around cars. I think you need it more."

Yena chewed on her bottom lip, "This wasn't much fun, was it? I was hoping we'd end up at a carnival or something, but a cold, empty beach wasn't really what I was hoping for. I ho--oh my god!"

An excited giggle left Wonho's lips as he flicked water at her face again, making Yena stumble and fall backwards on her butt. Wonho bent forward, laughing loudly as Yena fumbled in the sand, trying to stand up.

"Are you…are you kidding me?!" She shrieked as damp sand stuck uncomfortably on her skin.

Wonho cackled while jumping up and down before using his foot to kick more water at her as she sputtered incoherently, trying to turn her face away. "Come on and get back at me!"

Yena gaped up at him, the ends of her hair damp with sea water, as he took taunting steps backwards, "Awww, is Little Red, scared to come at the Big Bad Wolf?"

"Get over here." She hissed through her teeth while shoving her hands through his jacket sleeves so the coat sat on her shoulders comfortably. She bolted up and launched at him, kicking sand and water at him while chasing after him.

Wonho let out a high-pitched squeal as ran down the length of the beach with Yena hot on his heels. He glanced over his shoulder and felt genuine fear when he saw how close she was getting.

"Son of a bitch. I forgot that you go running!" He screamed when he felt a cold hand grip him behind the neck.

"Sucks for you." She whispered threateningly as she dragged him into the water.

Wonho stumbled dramatically as they waded into the water, "W-Wait. Hold on, let's be reasonable for a second."

"Time to get your hair wet a little, _Shin."_ She said before grabbing his head and shoving him underwater, making sure he was entirely drenched.

Wonho shrieked as Yena laughed, loudly and unabashedly, her eyes curving up in pure, childish joy, "I surrender!"

Just as she loosened up her hold on him, Wonho grabbed her arm and tried to pull her in with him, but she regained her footing before he could get her under water. The pair of them wrestled against each other, laughing loudly and screaming gleefully while trying to kick water at each other. Yena turned her head away to avoid the water as she laughed, Wonho was in awe at her bright smile as they struggled against each other.

He didn't know she could smile.

And he didn't know it would make him feel like he was kicked in the gut.

In a sudden swift move, he had his arm around her waist and pulled her forward so that she couldn't fall backwards which left them pressed tightly against each other, both panting as their wet skin stuck together. Yena gulped when his eyes flickered back and forth as if he was trying to read her thoughts. 

"God damn, you are stunning." He whispered.

Yena's eyes widened and her throat dried in panic as her hands started to tremble. Hearing overly romantic and sometimes cheesy compliments from Wonho wasn't something that phased her. He threw them at her every 5 seconds, usually accompanied with a charming smile or teasing wink. At first it was jarring and made her slightly uncomfortable, but when she learned that it was just in Wonho's nature to be flirtatious, it didn't affect her as much. It took some getting used to but now it was easy not to take his comments seriously.

But this time was different.

This time it didn't feel like a joke.

She shoved him away and punched him in the shoulder, "You ever spray me with water again and I'll keep your head under water for a lot longer."

Wonho stared at her before grinning and shaking the water out of his ear, "I don't doubt you. I don't think I've ever fought someone and didn't win."

"I'm all wet now." She muttered as they cut through the water and made it back to shore.

"I have that effect on women." He whispered with a sleazy wink.

She raised her fist, "I'll drown you, I swear."

He laughed as he stared at her, taking in long dripping hair that hung against his leather jacket that sat about 3 sizes too big on her.

"I think there are a couple of towels in the trunk. Let's get you dried up." He snickered as they made their way back to the car.

Yena was sitting in the passenger seat, her legs dangling off the side as she stared off at the river while Wonho dug around the back of the car to find towels.

She knew once she went home she'd have to wash away the salty scent of the ocean and the grains of sand on her skin and shoes before Namjoon got home but there was a strange feeling in her stomach.

She felt…full.

"Here we go! They smell clean, so let's hope Jooheon doesn't use this after he works out." Wonho said while tossing a towel over Yena's head.

She hummed in response and rubbed her hair with the towel to wring out the salt water before patting her hair dry.

"See Red, I wouldn't say that this trip of yours wasn't fun. We make our own fun." He said while drying his own hair.

Yena squeezed her hair before glancing at Wonho's arm, "You're bandage is getting soggy."

"Oh." Wonho said while looking at his arm, "That's bec--"

"I didn’t ask. It's just that open wounds can get infected especially in unclean lake water." She said while working on her hair.

Wonho stepped closer to her, letting his own towel hang on his head so that he could lean on the frame of the door and cross his arms over his chest to smirk at her. "So you _do_ care about me then, Red."

"Of course I do. You're…you're my friend my now." She said unsurely.

His eyes absolutely lit up, "Say it again."

"We're friends. I think hanging out together for 2 weeks consecutively would be characterized as a friendship and not an obligation." She said with her head held high.

A slow, languid smile melted across his face, "And I'd be inclined to agree."

"I'm glad. Now I'd like my new _friend_ , to drive me home before I get sick." She said while bringing her feet in the car and facing forward.

Wonho grinned and closed her door for her before walking around the car to the driver's side, not before pumping his hand in the air for good measure. It was a strange day for them both, filled with uncertainty and doubtful reminders of the life they left behind, one by will and another by desperation, but it was still a good day.

A happy day, against all odds.

And they drove away, leaving behind two sets of footprints in the sand instead of one.


	12. Chapter 12

"I heard you closed another account. Good work, I'm impressed." Namjoon's father said as he strolled into his son's temporary office.

Namjoon leaned back in his chair and nodded, "And I have one more in the works, I'm getting the papers drawn up."

"What about the Cho account?" He father asked while sitting across from his son.

Namjoon rubbed his eyes while bouncing his knee irritably, "They're not budging, I've met with the CEO about 10 times and he doesn't seem like he wants to work with us."

"We need to get that account, it's huge. They have strong foreign relations and if we get that account we'll have our foot in the door for the overseas market and overseas expansion is just what we need." His father pressed.

"I know, I know, but it's like he's just mocking me, he agrees to meet but he never seems interested in actually closing. It's like he just wants to see how long he can lead us on before we just snap. It's like a joke to him." Namjoon said in frustration.

His father pulled his glasses off and cleaned them with his tie, "Talk to his daughter then, she's about your age, if you can convince her then maybe she can convince her father to sign with us, apparently she has heavy influence over her father. A bit of a daddy's girl, so if you win her over, we'll have her father wrapped around our finger."

"Her daughter?"

"Cho Hyerin."

Namjoon nodded while jotting the name down, "I'll get in contact with her."

"Just remember, you already sent your wedding invitations and your _fiancée_ is planning your wedding as we speak, so keep that contact to a professional minimum." He father chuckled dryly as he stood up from his chair.

"I'm not making any promises." Namjoon said with a smirk.

\-----

"Airin Lee, I swear to God, if you don't get your butt to the restaurant in the next 10 minutes. I'm going to make you take my next 6 detention shifts." Yena hissed softly into her phone to Airin's voicemail as she stood in front of a small, expensive, restaurant.

The other 5 women of her bridal were currently seated around a table on the restaurant's patio, sipping mimosa's while discussing what styles _her_ wedding dress should be. She was moments away from jumping into the large decorative pool and Airin wasn't anywhere to be found to stop her. 

"Damn it." She mumbled before walking back into the restaurant, towards their table.

She pasted one a bright smile before sliding the glass doors open and stepping out on the patio. "Ladies, Airin will be joining us a little later, we can continue, I'll fill her in on what she missed."

"Isn't she your maid of honour?" Mina asked while sipping white wine.

Yena nodded with a smile, "She's a close friend, I met her at work. We actually met on the first day th--"

"Why is she late if she's your maid of honour?" Hyejin asked snootily.

Yena's smile didn't falter, "I'm sure she has her reasons. Airin is very responsible."

"No need to convince us." One of the other women said while snickering. "If I were a maid of honour I would've gotten here early."

"Isn't she just a teacher?" Another one voiced out.

Yena pulled out a magazine and set it down before smiling brightly, "So what have we decided on cake flavours?"

"I heard Song Yura talking about you at the tennis courts. What happened with you two?" Hyejin asked, steamrolling over Yena.

She scratched the back of her neck, "Maybe we should talk about the wedding instead."

The other women shared looks and hidden smiles with each other before launching into discussions about food and décor.

\-----

Most of brunch was a blur, going in one ear and out the other. She had taken down a few notes based on what they suggested, but she could tell that they didn't care about planning her wedding at all.

"I guess your responsible maid of honour isn't so responsible after all, it's okay sweetheart. I'm sure you could just pick someone else." Mina sang as everyone walked to the front of the restaurant where their cars were waiting.

Airin hadn't made an appearance at brunch and no matter how many times she called, it would go straight to voicemail. This meant that Yena had to sit through brunch and listen to the underhanded snides that were constantly directed at Airin.

"I'm sure she had her reason." Yena said slightly.

Once everyone was sent away to their cars, Yena lingered around the restaurant before deciding to head to her car. She was halfway across the dining room when she saw Airin stroll him. 

"Airin, there you are!" Yena exclaimed with a wave when she saw her friend try to weave through chairs while carrying huge bags. "Where have you been? Why are you so late?"

Airin gave her an odd look and checked her wrist watch, "What are you talking about? It's 1:30, I'm early."

"Early?" Yena asked as they stood off to the side, "Airin, we were supposed to meet at 11."

Airin's smile faltered as she dug her phone out of her bag, "I got an email from a Mr. Lee telling me that it was pushed to 2PM and that we're meeting for lunch."

Yena stared at Airin's phone, reading the email Namjoon's secretary had sent Airin telling her that they were meeting 3 hours later than they actually were supposed to.

"O-Oh." Yena whispered as her heart fell.

Did he hate that she had gotten her way _that_ badly that he was sabotaging Airin?

"I-I must've given him the wrong time, I think he thought I wanted to push it forward, it was my fault. I'm…I'm so sorry." She said when she handed Airin's phone back.

Airin pouted before grinning, "It sucks but it's okay, we can always look at the stuff I brought now."

Yena looked around and saw how the some of the other women in the restaurant were glancing at Airin, whispering and pointing, their eyes scanning Airin's clothes in a judgemental way. It wasn't that she wasn't dressed well, but Yena had learned early on that these women could smell designer clothes from a mile away. Yena couldn't tell the difference but judging by their looks, Airin probably wasn't wearing anything designer.

"Let's go get coffee. I know a cute place within walking distance. The people here…kinda suck and I'd rather not spend any more time around them." Yena said the last part quietly, making Airin laugh.

Simply seeing the looks these women were giving Airim, made Yena uncomfortable. She was the one who made Airin come here, involving her in this world, only to have people give her dirty looks. Lucky for her, Airin seemed to not notice.

Airin sighed and looped their arms together, "It's okay, I get it. I'm not really inner circle material."

"Which is exactly why I like you." Yena muttered. "Honestly, I'm sorry that you missed it, I wish you were there, I really wanted to hear you cut some of those women down."

They walked out of the restaurant, arm in arm, "I know you're not doing it on purpose, Yena. I knew it'd be awkward, I'm a school teacher who lives alone in a small, cheap studio apartment. But, aren't those women your friends too? I mean, they're part of your bridal party, you have to be close to them, right?"

"Um…kinda. They're just closer to my fiancé and he suggested they be a part of it." Yena said quickly.

Airin gave her a strange look, almost as if she was judging her fiancé and Yena realized how bad it sounded, her future-husband making her add people to her bridal party that she clearly didn't like. "He suggested? Or he _made_ you?"

She had to do damage control, "I've known them for a while and they're close to both of us but that doesn't mean they can't be catty, especially when they think they're better than you." 

Airin eyes still held some apprehension before she grinned and shrugged, "I'm used to the looks people like them give me but who gives a damn?"

"That's a good way to see it." Yena said as they strolled around.

"No offense, but I've seen a lot of the rich society types, you're not one of them but the rest are the same. They're in a loveless marriage to some old hag who they only want for the money and status. Sure, I don't live in luxury but I'm so happy. I can do whatever I want, whenever I want without someone controlling me, I have a boyfriend who loves me and doesn't try to tell me how to live my life, I have the bestest friend in the world and I'm working with amazing children. I love my life, even if it's not perfect. I don't think many of the women who look down on me can say the same thing with the same confidence." Airin said brightly, her face radiating pure happiness.

"Amazing." Yena said with a laugh while shaking her head.

Airin scrunched her nose up cutely, "Life's too short to be around shitty people or people who make you feel shitty. It's more fun to be around people who like you the way you are."

"You're cocky, aren't you?" Yena teased while the woman's words echoed heavily in the back of her head.

Airin bursted out laughing and rest her head on Yena's shoulder as they walked, "You should be more cocky too. You're living the life without having to sacrifice the freedom or your independence in your relationship."

"You're superwoman, Airin." Yena said softly while looking at her feet.

"I know!" She shouted teasingly, "But you're superwoman too, you know."

Yena snorted, "Yeah right."

"You've been with your fiancé for 6 years? And you've never sold yourself for his lifestyle. You still work as a teacher and you love your peasant friend and you have so many values that I've never seen any of these other women have." Airin pointed out.

Yena shrugged, slightly taken aback by her praises, "Oh, I don't think it's that big of a deal. I'm not that special."

"One of the teachers at our school started dating a CEO and within a week, she quit her job and spends the day at country clubs and spas, never returning my texts. Trust me, you're a dream."

\-----

"A garage sale?" She asked incredulously as they stood in a stranger's driveway surrounded by boxes and tables filled with someone else's junk.

Wonho grinned and picked up an ugly vase, "One man's trash is another man's treasure, right?"

"I didn't even know people held garage sales this late." The drive way was lit up with bright floodlights and it surprised her that so many people were milling around, looking at what's for sale despite it being so late.

Wonho set the vase down and picked up an ash tray, turning it around it his hands, "It's a trend now. Hispter-chic. You can find them everywhere. "

He was careful not to mention the fact that he spent his entire lunch break searching for somewhere to take her.

"Are you getting that?" Yena asked while leaning over his shoulder, "Seems fitting."

He laughed and set it back down, "It might come as a surprise to you, but I don't smoke enough to need a tray for it."

"That _is_ a surprise." She said under her breath, making him laugh.

He wiggled his fingers, "Let's see what I should get."

Yena looked around, taking in the mess of knick knacks scattered around the driveway and the boxes filled with old clothes and books. Wonho knelt down next to her to shift through the boxes in search of something he liked. Yena stared at the back of his head for a moment before she reached her hand out impulsively and brushed her fingers against his piercings in intrigue.

Wonho flinched at the sensation in surprise, his entire body shaking in shivers when her cold fingers accidentally carded through strands of his hair and tugged gently on his lobe.

"Interesting."

 _Fuck_ , she was just touching his earrings, why did it feel so good? Wonho flinched again before tilting his head back to look at her.

"That's a strange compliment."

She raised her brow, challengingly, "Why do you consider that a compliment?"

"Being interesting is better than being boring and forgettable." He said while looking back at the box clothes.

Yena's smile faded as she dropped her hand to her side.

"What do you think of this?" Wonho said as he stood up and held a shirt in front of his torso.

Yena sucked her lips in for two seconds before she bursted out in a hearty laugh as Wonho stood in front of her with a bright orange Hawaiian short sleeve button up shirt. Wonho kept his expression innocent as he stared at her.

"What? Doesn't it look go on me?"

Yena covered her face as she laughed, unable to catch her breath, "It looks…it looks so bad." She heaved out between laughs.

Wonho scoffed dramatically while watching her laugh unravel, "Are you insane? I would look so sexy in this."

"It's so ugly." She was kneeling over with tears in her eyes as she tried to catch her breath.

Wonho couldn't help but let a few laughs escape his lips as he tried to talk to her, "I'm so offended. You said we were friends."

"And as your friend I think it's my duty to tell you that no one can pull that off…not even you." She said while wiping her tears and straightening up.

Wonho bit down on his lip before tossing the shirt back into the box. There was something infectious about the way she smiled and laughed. Maybe it was the way her eyes curved up or maybe it was the fact that she always smiled with her teeth, like when she _really_ smiled. Either way, she smiled as if she had never been happier, which could be an overreaction on his part, but still felt true.

Everything just seemed brighter when she smiled for real, it felt wholehearted and genuine. Her lips stretched out with glee, and he'd find his own lips twitching up contagiously. 

"You're doing that a lot more often around me."

"Doing what?" She asked distractedly as she picked up a paperweight.

Wonho stood next to her and watched her expression, "Being happy. I like it."

Yena tilted her head to look at him and she gulped when she felt him grab her, except for the fact that he didn't touch her at all, but it felt like he had his hands on her shoulders, holding her. She looked away and set the paperweight down before mindlessly picking up a wooden clock to distract herself.

"Get this." She said while tapping on the clock.

He moved his eyes from her face, to the clock, "For you?"

"No, get it for you." She said while sliding it over to him,

He lifted the heavy fixture up and stared at it, "Why?"

She grinned and tapped the face of the clock, "It's stopped at 10 o'clock."

"Brilliant." He said with a laugh when he saw the clock's hand stuck on the time. "It's not that nice though, is it?"

Yena shifted closer to him to look at the chipping wood, "But isn't it cool that someone else probably stared at this same clock waiting for a date, for a delivery, for food to show up, for midnight on new year's or for their child to come home after curfew. This clock used to be in mint conditions but it went through so many people's lives and homes that it aged with history. Someone's whole life is built into a clock. We look at clocks more than some people look at each other."

Wonho's smile grew as he nodded in agreement, "You are damn persuasive, Red. You can get a man to fight a war for you, if you wanted."

"Would you go to war for me?" She joked.

Wonho leaned forward so that their noses bumped together, "In a heartbeat, Red."

"You barely know me." She mumbled back at him.

He raised a brow before leaning away from her, "That's how powerful you are, Ahn Yena."

"Are you getting anything else?" She asked softly with a smile.

Wonho grinned and took another step back, "I'm good. Hang onto this, I'm going to go pay for it." Wonho said while handing her the tall clock.

Yena watched him walk off before looking down at the clock, brushing her finger across the carvings. It wasn't really an aesthetically please clock, but there was something about the chipped wood and small cracks that made it beautiful. It gave it history and sentiment, she found that beautiful.

She turned the clock over and noticed the empty space next to the battery holder. She looked around at the table next to her and found an envelope opener sitting in a mug. She picked it up and crouched on the ground before scratching something against the surface of it.

Once she was done, she stood up and set the envelope opener aside and admired her work just as Wonho made his way over to her.

"Ready to go?"

She turned the clock around and handed it to him, "Yup. Let's go."

\-----

The walk towards Yena's house took longer than normal but neither of them noticed that their footsteps were getting slower and their conversations were flowing easier.

Yena was learning about Wonho and his friends and how close they are. He didn't go into detail about his past, only talking to her about his time after he got a job but she didn't try to press him for more. He spent most of the time talking about working for Jung and telling her stories about crazy customers that had her laughing with her head tossed back.

Wonho learned that Yena had majored in art and history in university before studying to become a teacher, which was her passion. He learned that she had been with her fiancée for six years but she hadn't said much else about him and their relationship and Wonho made no attempt to pry. She ended up telling him stories about her best friend Airin, her students and filling him in on Jiaen's condition.

Yena didn't even realize that she had taken Wonho down the longer road to her neighbourhood until 30 minutes later, they were at the intersection where he'd always drop her off.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Red." He said while Holding up the clock.

She smiled slightly and nodded with a wave before turning away. Once she was out of view, he turned and made his way to his bike while staring down at the clock in his hands. He turned it over to check what kind of batteries he would need but was quickly distracted when he saw what was lightly carved on the back.

SWH&AYN 2016

Wonho bit down his smile but failed to keep his beam hidden as he headed home smiling like an idiot.

\-----

"Where's Wonho?" Minhyuk asked as he walked through the living room where everyone was lounging around.

Jooheon grunted, displeased, "I don't know, but as long as he's not in my car, I don't care. Yesterday I got it back and it smelled like the Little fucking Mermaid."

"It's after 10, isn't it? He's probably out for a smoke." Kihyun said while flipping through the channels.

Hyungwon frowned before glancing at the clock, "Actually, it's already past midnight. Why the hell is he gone for so long?"

"Now that you mention it, his smoke breaks _have_ been longer. He's come home at like 2AM some nights." Changkyun said while looking up from his phone.

"I hope he's okay, smoking for that long can't be good for him. Do you think something's been bothering him?"

Jooheon frowned, "What could he be doing for 3 hours?"

"Cocaine, probably." Minhyuk snorted.

Hyungwon threw a pillow at his friend, "Not funny."

As if on cue, Wonho came through the front door, surprising everyone with the mysterious smile on his lips. He crossed through the living room and set the wooden clock on the dining table.

"Did…did you go shopping?" Hyungwon asked, stupefied at his friend who only ever ventured outside at night to smoke.

Wonho smiled to himself while staring at the wooden clock and hummed, "Yeah," He held the clock out for them to see, "What do you think?"

Kihyun gave Wonho a strange look, "Where did you even get that thing?"

"It's hideous." Minhyuk said with a disgusted look, "It doesn't match the interior of the flat at all."

Wonho laughed and looked at the clock again, "I like it. I think I'm going to hang it up in my room."

\-----

"Mr. Son?" Shownu's secretary's voice crackled over his landline. He was staying back late that night, long past everyone else, to finish some paper work.

"Yes, Ms.Yoo?" He said back, distractedly as he tried to swim through his paperwork.

"You have a visitor here, he doesn't have an appointment but he said that it's important."

Shownu's brows knit as he signed a form, "Sure, send him in."

A couple of seconds passed before his door creaked open and a voice caught his attention, "Good afternoon, Mr. Son."

Shownu's pen froze before slowly lifting his head and meeting eyes with his guest. His brows raised in intrigue as he set his pen down and leaned back in his chair.

"This is quite a surprise, Kim Namjoon."


	13. Chapter 13

"How can I help you, Kim? It's quite late." Shownu while gesturing for Namjoon to have a seat.

Namjoon took a seat and smiled, "Call me Namjoon, please, I'd like to think we're all close."

Shownu's smile didn't falter as he laced his fingers together, "Well, _Namjoon_ , what can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to drop by and see how the firm is doing." Namjoon said while looking around his office.

Shownu's eyes steeled over as he studied Namjoon's face, "I doubt the future CEO of Kim Corporations would need to look into a law firm."

"It's been a while hasn't it, Shownu." Namjoon's voice shifted to informal as he crossed his leg over his knee.

Shownu's lips curled up, "That was intentional, I believe."

Namjoon laughed humourlessly as he scanned Shownu's desk, "How's your girlfriend?"

"Why?" Shownu snapped protectively, his brows creasing seriously.

Namjoon grinned, amusement filling his eyes when he realized that he had hit a nerve. "Just making conversation. I heard the rumours but I didn't think they were true, Son Shownu never dates, last I heard you were still one of the most eligible bachelors."

"You can't believe everything you hear, Namjoon, rumours are rumours and as a business man yourself, you should know better." Shownu fired back.

Namjoon looked down at his own tie and before lifting his eyes, almost intimidatingly, "So you're saying that your relationship with Cho Hyerin is just…a rumour?"

Shownu's body stiffened and his jaw clenched, "Where did you get that name?"

"You and your father are on retainer for Cho Hotels and I realized that she looks awfully similar to Heiress A that you were plastered all over tabloids with, so I took an educated guess." He said smugly.

Shownu rotated his jaw, "I'd prefer not to get into my personal life with you, so just cut to the chase and tell my why you're really here because unlike you, I don't have time to waste."

"Kim Corporations is looking to do business with Cho Hotels and we've hit a bit of an impasse with them and since you seem to have a close relationship with them, I wanted to know if you could use that relationship to break that impasse." Namjoon said, his voice suddenly growing stiff.

Shownu's face suddenly relax as a humorous glint filled his eyes, "You're asking me to put in a good word for you?"

"I think it'd be useful for both you and Ms. Cho if you did. It'd be mutually beneficial for the three of our companies. I'm sure we could work something out so that you get something out of it too. In fact, I bet that girlfriend of yours would be grateful to you for getting her father a new business." Namjoon said quickly.

Shownu titled his head with narrowed eyes, "Are you leveraging my alleged girlfriend against me?"

" _Against_ is such a harsh word, I'd say I'm leveraging your alleged girlfriend _to help_ you." Namjoon replied, his smugness returning.

Shownu laughed loudly, "There's a reason why our law firm won't go near your company with a 100 meter stick and I think you're smart enough to assume that Cho won't for the same reasons."

"You're telling me that _you_ told Hyerin? Bullshit." Namjoon said calmly, "And I'm sure that the tabloids would love getting the inside scoop on who Heiress A really is. It would be a shame if her name got out considering how private of a person you are."

Shownu let out an incredulous laugh, "You're a piece of work, Namjoon."

Namjoon looked irritated, "Look, if you aren't interested, that's fine, I have my ways."

"But don't you _need_ this deal? Cho Hotels has ties in Japan, Kim Corporations can barely get deals in Jeju." Shownu said with a smirk. "You wouldn't have crawled your way from under the gutter to come to _me_ for help if you weren't up against a wall."

Namjoon's lips morphed into a sneer and his eyes twitched in annoyance, "I think you're mistaken Shownu, I'm not here in an act for desperation, it's more of a courtesy call."

"Oh please, do elaborate." He snorted.

"I'll be trying to get into contact with Hyerin with or without your help and I will be spending a lot of time with her. I'm sure it won't be easy for you to know she's with another man while _you_ can't even be around her in public since you're worried about the relationship going public. You'll just have to sit quietly and watch." Namjoon said casually.

Shownu just smiled, "Before you get carried away, you might want to get past the first stage of getting into contact with her, which I'd love to see you try to do. She's very exclusive, magazines don't even have pictures of her, it's all about her dad. She has no public presence."

"That shouldn't be your concern." He said cockily. "Your relationship, on the other hand, should be."

Shownu wasn't swayed, "I got your wedding invite this morning. I was surprised to see that you sent them 5 months early, but I guess you are used to doing things unconventionally. Since you're here, I'd like to RSVP."

"I'll remember to tell the wedding planner." Namjoon said while standing up and heading to the door.

"Cho Hyerin will be my plus one."

Namjoon turned at stared at Shownu before grinning, "Don't you think it's a bit presumptuous to pick your date so early?"

Shownu's brow raised challengingly, "I was going to say the same thing, but about your bride."

"Excuse me?" Namjoon scoffed.

Shownu stood up from behind his desk, his fists pressed against the top, "I'm just wondering what that poor woman did to deserve to spend the rest of her life with someone like you and how long it'll take before she realizes what a huge mistake you are and runs for the hills." 

"She has no problem spending the rest of her life with me." Namjoon said confidently.

"Is that because she doesn't know who you are or have you brainwashed her into thinking that you could be a fraction of a decent human being?" Shownu said while tilting his head, his words lethal but his tone playful.

Namjoon looked livid, "Son Shownu you'd bette--"

"Don't bother threatening me." Shownu's voice dropped ominously low, "Because I'm not the one who has something to hide, something that could ruin my entire career…you do. So the answer is _no_ , I'm not going to let you anywhere near Hyerin and I sure as hell won't put in a good word for you. And if you think trying to 'steal' her away from me is going to change my mind, you'd be mistaken."

Namjoon rolled his eyes, "You're too successful to be _that_ naïve about a woman."

Shown walked around it desk, the both of them caught in a battle of nerves, "It might come as a surprise to you, considering the people you surround yourself with, but I can assure you she doesn't find an engaged man who's still chasing skirts nearly as appealing as one committed and loyal to her."

"How are the boys?" Namjoon asked, changing the subject with a renewed sense of war.

The fire in Shownu's eyes burned furiously as he growled through his teeth, "Get the fuck out of my office and I swear to god if you ever show up here again, I'll have security throw your ass out, future CEO or not."

Namjoon turned with a smile and slipped his hands into his pockets while walking away, "It was nice catching up, Shownu."

\-----

Weeks had passed with Yena falling into the strangest 'routine' of her life.

She would go to work, do her job, come home, see Namjoon briefly if she was lucky, do some wedding planning, before heading out to the park at 10. That whole part was routine, every single day, without fail.

However, once it hit 10, _routine_ was thrown out the window. Wonho would drag her around the city, taking her to places that she didn't even know existed, showing her sights that she would never see as beautiful until he'd point them out and sharing his light-hearted philosophies that made her feel rich.

He brought the spontaneity out of her routine and over the weeks, it had become contagious and had rubbed off on her. Soon, he was helplessly following her around as whenever she took control and led them around town. And he had to admit, he liked whenever she brought him around because it was the few chances he had to dig into her mind. She had become more comfortable talking to him about personal stuff instead of just listening to him ramble on. 

Yena couldn't help but feel cautious every time she was around Wonho, but the more time she spent with him, the more comfortable she became. So much so that she'd find herself texting him during her break and actually looking forward to seeing him. He had the ability to make her laugh while doing the stupidest stuff and everything he said just shone a brighter light to her. He was so unlike anyone she had ever met before that his company had become addicting.

She had never spent time with someone so carefree. Someone who joked around about nearly everything and didn't act like he had an image to keep. He was so open and happy that it made her wonder what it would be like to be that happy. To never have a bad thing or thought in her head.

Despite how much they enjoyed each other's company, Wonho never asked Yena why she kept their meet ups a secret from her fiancé and Yena never asked Wonho why he always had gauze wrapped around one of his arms. 

"Oh, wow." Yena said while she looked around the small, shabby pub, in the middle of nowhere that Wonho had taken her to that night.

Wonho walked in behind her and scratch the back of his neck, "Yeah, I know, it's not that classy. Sorry."

"No, this is awesome." She gushed as she took in the vintage wooden walls that surrounded the dark oak bar and the leather booths that were all coated in warm, dim lighting and light music playing in the background.

The bar was pretty empty although there were a couple of people scattered around, a small group of people playing pool at the back.

"I've never been to a pub before." She said as they walked further in, "The only places I've been too are fancy bars with snobby people holding drinks too tiny."

Wonho grinned and led them to a small booth, "Well then you're in luck."

He nodded at the bartender, who knew he was a regular, as they sat across from each other. Yena watched Wonho take his leather jacket off, revealing a darker sweater underneath.

She pursed her lips and looked up at him, "Why do you always dress so darkly?"

"What do you mean?" He asked while looking down at himself to see what he was wearing.

She pointed at his sweater, "You wear the same 5 shades of dark. You should dress happier, brighter."

"Why?" He asked with a laugh.

She shrugged and leaned her chin on her palm, "Just so I can see what you'd look like because I really can't imagine you in anything _colourful_ or bright other than white. I want to see what it would look like if you were to wear, I don't know, light purple or something."

"I don't think you're ready for me to look that handsome, though." He teased as a beer was set down in front of him and a drink menu was handed to her.

Yena blinked repeatedly before taking the menu and looking through it, "W-What am I supposed to order?"

"Whatever you want." He said simply before taking a sip from his own drink.

She stared at the menu, overwhelmed by the names, "I've only ever hand wine."

"Then get wine." He said while watching the crease grow between her brows.

Yena chewed nervously on her lip, "I don't really know what wine I like though. I just drink whatever I my fiancé gives me. He knows wines better."

Wonho gave her a strange look, like he couldn't understand her logic before taking the menu from her, "Okay, well what flavours do you like?"

"Umm…" She played with her fingers while she tried to think, "Sweet stuff."

"Sweet stuff, should I start calling you that?" He joked while flipping through the menu.

Yena snorted, nudging his leg with hers, under the table, "Sure, if you want a black eye."

Wonho laughed, his nose scrunching up and his eyes curving into happy crescents. "Fair."

He handed her the menu, "These are the sweet drinks."

Yena took the menu and scanned the list, reading the contents of each one. Namjoon would never let her order any of these drinks if they were out in public. He would probably make some comment about how she wasn't a 21 year old girl on spring break. She normally had to drink sophisticated drinks and she hated the taste, so wine was the only thing she could handle.

"This one." She said while pointing at something with passion fruit and raspberries.

Wonho stared at the drink, memorizing the name before nodding, "Alright, I'll order, sit tight."

Yena laced her fingers together, feeling pleased with herself before looking over at Wonho. Her brows raised when she noticed a couple of women sitting at the bar, eyeing Wonho up and down. Wonho's attention was pinned on the bartender, sharing a couple of jokes with him, making him laugh before he handed him her drink.

Without noticing the other women, he turned with her drink in hand before setting it down in front of her, "Your drink, Red."

"Thank you." She said happily before pulling the drink closer to her and stirring it with the straw. She took a hearty sip before smacking her lips together.

She looked up to see Wonho staring at her expectantly, "It's really good." She said with a giddy laugh.

She took another sip, sighing as the bubbles fizzled in her brain. She pushed the drink towards Wonho, "Have some."

He blinked at her before taking a sip, "Oh, it is good."

The next 30 minutes blew by in a blur as the pair of them got increasingly tipsy, laughing and telling each other stories, their filters starting to disappear.

"I've never had an orgasm."

Wonho choked on his drink, the liquid sputtering and spewing out of his mouth from shock at the bold statement.

He coughed loudly, beer in his nose as he tried to regain composure. "W-what?" He wheezed out with wide eyes.

She shrugged while he wiped his mouth and looked down at the glass. "I never had one. I don't know what one feels like."

She looked at him, her eyes darting to his red ears before she smiled, "Are you embarrassed right now?"

"W-what? No-no. Of course not." He said, trying to recover.

She smile lazily, "We're both adults here."

"Exactly." He said while sitting up. "So about… _that_. I thought you were engaged, did he never…you know?"

She leaned against her palm and stirred the ice in her empty glass, "No, he never did."

"Well what about for him? Did he ever…" He said, unsure how to phrase himself.

"Yeah, he always did, me…not so much." She said with glassy, tipsy eyes.

He frowned, "Did you ever say anything about it?"

"I'd feel weird talking about, plus it doesn't even matter, with work, he's been busy so…it's been a while."

Wonho shook his head, tipsy himself, "That's not right, Red. You need to get off just as much as he does, any man knows that. You got to treat your girl _right_ or she's not sticking around."

"Oh god." She blurted out, shaking her head, covering her face with her palm as the sheer embarrassment started to sink in."Can we stop talking about this and can I just have another drink?"

Wonho laughed and took her glass before standing up, "Sure."

She smiled languidly as she lifted Wonho's glass and aimlessly traced her finger around the lip of it.

"I could get you off, you know."

Yena jumped in her seat, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up as she turned to see a frat boy standing over her, swaying back and forth. Yena stiffened, her skin feeling uncomfortably warm as her heart raced in panic.

"That wasn't a conversation for you to hear." She muttered under her breath as she searched for Wonho who was back at the bar, chatting happily to the man who was making her drink.

Her arm tensed when she felt the stranger's fingers brush against her skin, "Doesn't matter, does it? Your man isn't getting you laid, I can help with that."

"Leave me alone." She said quietly while looking away, her voice curling into a growl. "I don't want to talk to you."

Wonho turned around with her drink in his hand and stopped, mid-step, to see Yena looking away as someone talked to her. He walked over cautiously, ignoring the guy and setting her drink down, only to see her holding onto his beer.

"Excuse me." He muttered to the guy before walking around the guy to sit across from her.

The drunk guy looked at Wonho and then at Yena before frowning, "Are you the guy that can't get your own bitch off?"

Wonho looked over at Yena who was trembling in her seat, her hand shaking furiously as she gripped onto his glass beer until the tips of her fingers were white. He looked up at her face that was a flushed red, but it was her eyes that gripped him by the throat.

She was tearing up.

She was about to cry.

"If you're not going to do it right, at least let someone else have her." The guy jeered loudly, attracting the attention of the few other people who were looking over at them in concern.

"'Fuck off." Yena breathed out, through the tears that were building up.

The guy laughed, slapping Wonho on the back as if they were sharing an inside joke, "She's a wiley one, ain't she? You should put a leash on her."

Wonho's eye twitched and something took over him. In a second, he was out of his seat and was slamming the guy against the wall with his grip about his neck, squeezing tightly.

"It must be hard." He whispered quietly to the man who was groaning, "To think with your dick. To think with something so _small_ and _insignificant_."

"I--"

"Watch your mouth." He hissed while digging his fingers into the fleshy underside of his jaw, "Watch your _fucking_ mouth around a lady."

He let go of the man and shoved him away, "Get out."

The man stared at him, most likely sizing up his chances to get physical against him, before turning away, muttering curses under his breath. Once he was out of the bar, Wonho turned to the bartended to apologize, but he was already waving him off.

"I didn't see nothing and your girl's drinks are on the house by the way."

Wonho turned to Yena who was staring at his glass intently as her eyes filled with water. Wonho crouched down next to her and gently ran his fingers down her arm to get her attention.

"Hey." He said quietly, tenderly shaking her arm until she looked over at him.

The minute their eyes met, she tilted her head and a tear slipped down her cheek. She raised her hand to wipe it off, but Wonho was already cupping her cheek, wiping her tear away with his thumb. He trailed his fingers down the side of her neck before softly squeezing her shoulder.

"Let's get out of here, yeah?"

Yena nodded briskly and Wonho stood up and stepped away before pulling his wallet out and paying for his drink. He gave Yena room to brush past him and leave the bar. He followed closely behind and watched her hands curl into fists before they reached up and roughly tugged on the ends of her hair.

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand out of her hair before catching her eyes, "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry." She breathed out, staring at him in panic, "I shouldn't have said anything. It was my fault, I shouldn't have been at a pub this late, I shouldn't have provoked him. I--"

Her words died in a gasp when her face was pressed against his shoulder, her nose smushed against his leather jacket and her body was tucked snugly against his side.

"I think I've been taking my body guard for granted, huh? I keep forgetting that she's not invincible." He mumbled while hugging her. "I'm sorry I didn't do anything sooner."

He was warm.

That was the only thing she could comprehend.

He was warm and she was cold.

She slowly lifted her arms but before she could wrap them around him, he pulled away and stepped back, holding her by the shoulders.

"Do you want to go home?" He asked while letting go of her.

Something felt strange in her stomach as she nodded quietly. She walked next to him in silence, trying to stop herself from shaking.

"Maybe we should stop meeting so late." He voiced carefully, trying not to show his reluctance.

She hummed and stared at her feet, "I like when we meet."

"Then maybe I should ask my friend if his boss's dog needs sitting." He joked, making her smile. "But you know, the next time a guy comes onto you like that even after you say no, you're allowed to give him a swift kick in the family jewels. I'm pretty sure everyone else would give you a standing ovation if you did."

"Yeah?" She asked while rubbing her eyes.

Wonho placed his palm on her lower back to guide her and unlike at the coffee shop, she didn't flinch, "Oh definitely. When a guy acts like a brat, it automatically gives all women the right to throw a huge scene and attract the most attention to the guy and the way he's acting."

"Why?" She asked while leaning slightly into his hand.

He let go of her and slipped his hand into his pockets, "Because, guys are like children, and when a child throws a fit, parents usually yell at them and when strangers stare at kids while they're getting yelled at, their tiny little ego can't take it, so they stop."

Yena smiled as she hugged herself, "Are guys the same?"

"Oh they're worse." He snorted, "Except me, of course."

Her body was still quaking and heart was still racing in fear, but she felt different. She didn't feel like how she did when she got attacked at the park and she didn't feel like how she had felt at in the past either, she didn't feel guilty. 

She felt warm.

\-----

Yena stepped through her front door and felt relief wash over her when the entire house was dark. She carefully slipped her shoes off and padded over to the kitchen, grabbing something to eat to get rid of the alcohol on her tongue.

Once she felt comfortable, she tip toed her way up the stairs and washed her face before staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was bloated and red from earlier and her heart just felt tight and wound up.

But tomorrow…tomorrow was going to be a better day.

She knew it.

She crept into the bedroom where Namjoon was laying with his back turned away from her. She carefully lifted her side of the blanket and slipped into bed before turning her back to him and tucking her hands under her head and closed her eyes.

Right before she drifted off to sleep, Namjoon's voice woke her up, "Have you been out running this whole time?"

"Yes." She rasped out while keeping her back to him.

She didn't know when lying to Namjoon had become so easily, there used to be a time when she'd feel guilty about it.

He didn't say anything else and Yena made no attempt to drag the conversation on any longer and closed her eyes, falling asleep without wishing him a goodnight. Ahn Yena was living in a larger house, sleeping in a large bed under thick, plush blankets but she did not have a comfortable sleep.

She was cold again.

He was cold and she was cold.


	14. Chapter 14

Yena got out of bed with a skip in her step and a smile on her face the next morning.

Today was the day.

Today was the day when she would be allowed to be selfish and care only about herself.

She pulled out her favourite outfit, the only one that she liked, and put in on before going to her vanity and spending a little extra time and effort on her makeup than usual. She grabbed her things and raced down the stairs, only to see Namjoon standing up from the dining room table, while wiping his nose.

"Good morning!" She said cheerfully as she came down the stairs.

Namjoon stared at her in confusion before grunting in response, "I'll be home late."

"O-Oh, do you think that you could come back early? Maybe we could do something special." She voiced out carefully.

Namjoon made a face and slipped into his shoes, "No, I can't. Why does it even matter?"

"Do you know what day it is, today?" She asked with a frown.

Namjoon gave her a strange look, "I don't know, Tuesday? Don't you have work?"

"I took the day off."

"Why do you take so many days off?" He said with a scowl, "If you're going to miss work that much why did you make a big deal about getting a job?"

Yena walked down the steps and stood up in front of him with her chin held up, "The only times I've ever missed work is to attend _your_ luncheons and plan _our_ wedding."

"Excuse me?" Namjoon said with a scoff.

Yena hid her fisted hands behind her back, "I never miss a day of work unless _you_ make me. So, today, I took the day off for _me_ , you can't be upset with me that I did."

Namjoon's eyes widened, and his pupils almost looked dilated as he grabbed her chin and pulled her close to him, "Don't _ever_ speak to me like that again, you hear?"

"Then don't speak to _me_ like that again, do _you_ hear?" She hissed out through her teeth.

She winced when he dug his nails into her skin, his eyes freezing over and his voice quivering in anger. He pushed her head up, the back of it banging painfully against the wall behind her, "Do you think that I have time for this? I gave you everything. If it wasn't for me, you'd be a shaking leaf stuck in an insane asylum and if it wasn't for me you wouldn't have that _damn_ job. Don't _ever_ fucking speak to me like that again or I swear to god, _I will ruin you_."

"You can't ruin me." She whispered as tears burned in the back of her eyes, "I made myself, you can't ruin what I made."

He tilted her chin back again so that it hit the wall again, "Say that again, _I_ dare you."

Yena's voice came out in wheezes as nothing escaped her lips.

When he realizes that she wouldn't speak up, he let go of her chin and kissed her on the forehead before turning away but not before glancing over his shoulder. "Have a good day at work."

\-----

"Happy birthday, sweetie."

Yena looked up from her desk and to see Airin who poked her head into her classroom before classes begun.

Yena gave her a small smile, "Yeah, thank you."

"Any fun plans?" Airin asked while leaning her head against the door frame.

Yena scratched her head, "Um…I don't know. I don't have anything planned."

"I would ask you to go out for drinks with me, but I'm pretty sure the fiancé probably wants you all to himself." Airin joked while wiggling her brows.

Yena laughed and looked back at the papers she was marking, "Yeah well…who knows, right?"

"I made you birthday brownies, they're in the staff room." Airin said with a wink.

Yena smiled, her heart softening at her friend, "Thanks."

"Are you excited? You're a year older now!" Airin cheered.

Yena nodded and looked back at her desk. "So excited."

\-----

Yena walked to her classroom, 5 minutes before the bell was going to ring, with a brownie in her hand.

She nodded at some of the students who passed her in the halls but stopped in her track when she saw her classroom door shut with the lights turned off. Whenever students started to file in, she _always_ kept her door open and the lights on.

Yena looked around the hallways with a frown before slowly walking to the door and turning the knob, carefully pushing it open. She couldn't see anything and blindly slapped her hand around the wall until she felt the light switch and flicked it on.

"Happy Birthday!"

Yena screamed and stumbled back, her eyes wide and her brownie on the ground as her students jumped up from behind their desk with a small cake sitting on her desk.

She gaped at her students who were happily singing Happy Birthday at the top of their lungs. At the very back of the classroom, Airin was obnoxiously blow air into a party horn.

"How old are you now? Are you 1? Are you 2? Are you 3--"

"Okay kids!" Airin said frantically, cutting the song short when they started counting her age, "That's enough. She gets it, sit at your desk and we'll hand out the cake.

Yena laughed, stunned as her students ran at her, jumping up and down around her, a few even hugging her waist as they screamed birthday wishes at her. She patted a few of them on the back, thanking them while Airin cut the cake.

She couldn't stop the smile on her lips as the kids ran to their desks, giggling and laughing. Her heart flipped in happiness as Airin handed out plates of cake. Yena caught her friend's eyes and mouthed a meaningful _thank you_ and Airin winked back while scolding two boys who were fighting in their seats.

Something tug on her skirt and when she looked down to see a familiar, smiling face.

"Yes, Hyae?" Yena said sweetly.

The little girl and held out a piece of construction paper, "I made you this. Happy birthday, Ms. Ahn."

"O-Oh!" Yena gasped while taking the card, "Oh, thank you so much!"

Hyae scurried off to get a plate of cake, giving Yena a moment to read the card covered in glitter glue and stickers with hearts, flowers and smiley faces drawn on the front. She opened the card and read Hyae's messy writing.

_Dear Ms. Ahn._

_Happy birthday! You are my favourite teacher ever. I like when you teach us about books and I like your assignments. You are really pretty and funny and I want to grow up to be just like you. You are my role model and my favourite teacher ever._

_Ms.Lee saw my card and said that you are like Superwoman. You are a superhero Ms. Ahn!_

_Love Hyae <3 _

Yena felt her throat close up as she stared at Hyae little doodles. She had the best students in the world and she knew that next September, she would have a new class of students and she'd probably love them just as much.

There was something so pure and uncensored about young kids and yes, they could be rowdy and a handful, but when they like you and look up to you, it's like the world is right. 

Suddenly her shitty birthday, got a lot better.

\-----

Wonho whistled softly to himself as he wiped his greasy hands on a rag having just finished up a tune up for a client's car and headed to his office to prepare the paperwork. He rolled his neck and shoulders, working out the kinks and knots that bundled from spending hours crouched over.

He wiped the sweat off his brow and pushed the door open while reaching for the ends of his shirt to pull it over his head until he let out a loud yell.

"What are you guys doing in here?" He spat out in shock when Mr. Jung, LP and Hyungwon were all seating in his office.

Hyungwon raised his arms up in defence, "They called me here, didn't give me a lot of context."

"What's going on?" Wonho asked while watching them cautiously.

LP laced his fingers together and pressed them against his lips dramatically, "We have some worries."

"Is this an intervention?" Wonho joked.

"Actually…"

Wonho gaped at them, "Are you serious?"

"We're just concerned about your mood recently." LP said calmly.

Wonho knit his brows together, "My mood's been great."

"That's sort of the issue." Mr. Jung said, "You've been suddenly so happy and it's not that you weren't happy before, but now it seems different. Like you're bubbly and giddy and we're worried about you."

"You're worried that I'm happy?" Wonho asked in confusion.

LP rested his hand on Wonho's shoulder, "We're worried you might be on drugs."

"Oh my god." Wonho said with a laugh.

Hyungwon, who had stayed silent for the most part, spoke up, "Well if it's not acid, then what else is i--holy shit…you're getting laid!"

Mr. Jung let out a breath and stood up, "I'm not cut out for this. As long as Shin's job performance or health doesn't suffer, I'm not concerned. I'm going back to work, you guys deal with this on your own."

"Wait!" Wonho said quickly but Jung was already out of the room, "I'm not. I'm seriously not dating anyone. Whatever mood swing you think I'm having has nothing to do with that, I swear."

Hyungwon looked confused, "So why are you suddenly so dumbly happy?"

"I don't…"Wonho's eyes landed on Yena's file that was stacked with a bunch of his other paperwork. "I don't know."

LP watched Wonho lift a file up and open it up before his eyes run down the information. His lips twitched slightly when a certain piece of information caught his attention.

"I'm going to head off early." He said while setting the file down.

Hyungwon looked surprised, "Wait, LP's not done interventioning you."

"Yeah!" LP complained.

Wonho was distracted as he grabbed his jacket. "I'll see you at home, bye!"

Hyungwon scoffed when his friend vanished and quickly turned his attention to the file that had distracted Wonho. He picked it up and flipped through it.

"Who is Ahn Yena?" Hyungwon asked in confusion.

LP frowned and leaned over to read the file, "I don't kno--oh! She was a customer but she only ever came in once. Wonho gave her a bunch of upgrades on her car but didn't charge her for any of them."

"Huh." Hyungwon said while looking at the door where Wonho disappeared through.

\-----

Yena had come home later than normal, picking up her favourite take-out to celebrate alone in the house that seemed to suffocate her more the longer she stayed in it.

It was like the decline after a sugar high.

At school, she managed to forget the events of the morning and the few times that she was reminded of it, she would feel her skin crawl and would immediately try to put it out of her head. Her students made her forget everything and there were even moments when she was walking on cloud nine, however, once she headed home, the cloud vaporized.

Her heart felt heavy again, but not because Namjoon forgot, but because she could still feel the sting of his nails on her jaw and the burn on the back of her skull. He had used rough words with her ever since they started dating, that was just who he was and every now and then he'd tug on her arm when she wasn't paying attention. But he had never used that much force on her before and he had never openly threatened her before either.

It didn't sit right and thinking about it made her sick.

Trying to clear her mind, she set her food on the counter and pulled out a half empty bottle of wine and poured herself a glass before she started to eat. Once she was done, she just found herself curled up o the couch with a glass of wine in her hand. It was one hell of a birthday, she was really living it up, alone, in her living room.

She was aimlessly watching television until her phone buzzed, snapping her out of her daze.

**Are you coming out tonight?**

**-WH**

Yena glanced at the clock on the DVD player. It was only 9, but even still, she wasn't sure if she wanted to go out. She just wanted to stay at home and drink more, spending her birthday in bliss.

**It's 9.**

**-AY**

**That's how badly I want to see you, Red.**

**-WH**

"Screw it." She mumbled to herself while standing.

She grabbed her keys and phone and let herself out the door before heading to the park. Her cheeks were flushed, partly from the alcohol and partly from the cold as she pulled her hood over her hair.

She reached the park and spotted Wonho's shadowed figure standing by. He must've heard her footsteps because he took a few steps in her direction until he was standing directly under the street lamp, with a bright smile and his hands tucked behind his back.

Her lips parted and her eyes widened with shock as she stared at him before a huge smile broke out of her lips. She ran over to him before looking him over.

"You're wearing purple." She blurted as she stared at the lavender pullover he was wearing.

His lips hitched as she looked down at his torso, "To be fair, it's my friend's. I had to steal it. Thoughts?"

The colour warmed his skin and made him far less intimidating from the outside, "I like it…but I like the leather more. It's more you." She pointed out.

"Good to know." He said seriously.

She tilted her head, "So why am I here at 9 instead of 10?"

"Happy birthday, Red."

Yena's heart stopped when Wonho brought his hands out from behind his back and held out a small bouquet of white, red and purple roses.

She opened her mouth but all that could come out was, "How?"

"It was on your file when I took down your driver's license info. Happy 28th." He said while wiggling the bouquet at her.

She slowly took it from him and stared at the petals, "Thank you. You didn't have to."

He watched the smile grow on her lips before his stomach filled with satisfaction, "It was worth it, though."

She looked up at him while touching the warm petals with her fingers.

"C'mere." He said quietly before leading her to a patch of grass under a tree.

"Oh my god." Yena blurted out when she saw a picnic blanket spread out with a cake placed in the middle.

Wonho snickered as the two of them sat across from each other on the blanket with the cake in between them. He flicked his lighter a few times before lighting two candles.

"Wait, hey! I'm not 30!" She complained when she saw the number candles.

Wonho cackled evilly, "2 more years, Red. You need to get used to being 30."

"I will if you will." She snapped back.

He just laughed, "Make a wish."

"Can I wish that you disappear and leave the cake?" She fired back.

He clucked his tongue, "Well now that you said it out loud, it won't come true, so pick a new wish."

Yena huffed before closing her eyes in thought before leaning forward and blowing out the candles. Wonho clapped happily, cheering before pulling out the candles, singing about how he was waiting to eat the cake all day, making her die of laughter

But soon his impromptu silly song quieted down and his throat closed up when Yena's laughter started to morph into sobs as tears ran down her face.

"O-Oh god. What's happening? What do I do?" He asked in panic when Yena pressed the heel of her hands to her eyes as she wept.

He crawled over to her side and stared at her helplessly before gently placing his hand on her back, rubbing small circles.

"He forgot." She breathed out between hiccups. Before he could ask her to elaborate, she continued, "He forgot my birthday…again."

"Your fiancé?" Wonho asked quietly. 

She groaned and wiped her eyes with her sleeve, "He's forgot 3 years in a row."

Wonho was shocked to a silence as he watched her try to compose herself. Yeah, it's common for people to forget certain special days but a birthday? Three times in a row? That was just harsh.

"Does he do stuff like that often?"

On a whim, she nodded, "Anniversaries too. Last year I waited, full hair and makeup in a really pretty dress and he just stood me up."

 _Fuck_.

Wonho wanted to laugh.

Who exactly was her fiancé and how dumb was he? He wanted to meet the man blind enough to leave a woman like _her_ made up, alone, on an anniversary.

Hell, how could any man leave a woman like her alone on any day of the week?

If it was him, he'd have trouble leaving the house to go to work every day if he got to wake up next to someone like her.

 _Woah_.

Wonho blinked, appalled with his own thoughts that crossed a boundary that he wasn't comfortable with. Sure he entertained the fact that she was beautiful, but his thoughts about her never ran that deep nor that sentimental. They were just the surface of admiring an interesting woman, but what just crossed his mind wasn't right at all. 

"I'm sorry." He said softly, at a loss for words.

She laughed while tears still spilled down her cheek, "You know what's sad? I'm not broken up about it because he does this so often, I'm just mad. I remember the birthday of everyone in his family, every anniversary, even his parents' and every goddamn dentist appointment, but he can't even bother to remember my birthday. It just sucks that I'm too scared to say anything to him or tell him how mad I am."

"Wait, hold on. Scared?" Wonho asked, all tepidness gone, replaced with confused anger.

Yena stilled before looking up at him with wide eyes, "Huh? What?"

"You said scared. Are you scared of him?" He asked as a new light washed over his perception of Yena.

She started stuttering, she wanted to lie, tell him that she didn't mean scared as in _fear_ but her mind would flash back to that morning and all she could think of was, _yes, I think I'm terrified of him_. She just couldn't get a solid lie out.

"I…I don't. No--wait. I--"

Wonho leaned close to her, all playfulness gone from his eyes, "Red…do you love him? Are you happy with him?"

"Wonho." She said warningly.

He narrowed his eyes, "Say it. Say you love him. Say he makes you happy. Say you want to spend the rest of your life with him."

Yena stared at him before her breathing started to catch and she started to hyperventilate while her fingers trembled. Her gasps were loud and painful as her body jerked and her vision started to tunnel.

"Shit." Wonho muttered under his breath when he realized that he pushed too hard. He grabbed one of the water bottles he brought and opened the cap before handing it to her.

"I'm sorry." He said while she drank the water, "Just take deep breaths. Forgot I asked anything."

She set the bottle down and put her head between her knees as she tried to slow her breathing down. Guilt filled Wonho's system when he realized how a nice event he tried to throw for her birthday turned into her almost having a panic attack.

"I-"

"I do want to spend the rest of my life with him." She said softly, with her head between her legs.

He nodded, ready to accept and support whatever she said so that he wouldn't overwhelm her again, but it was what she said next that jarred him.

"Because if I don't have him…I won't have anyone."

Wonho tried to keep his mouth shut, but he couldn't, "That's bullshit, Red, and you know it."

"Wonho you don't know what I'm going through." She said under her breath.

He nodded, "Yeah, you're right. But I know that marrying someone because you think no one else will, is fucked up."

She laughed and looked over at him, "Yeah well maybe I'm a little fucked up. Did you ever think of that?"

"That still doesn't give him the right to--"

"To do what?" She challenged, "To miss a couple of birthdays? To tell me what wine to drink? To tell me what clothes to wear?"

His eyes softened, "To _scare_ you into being with him."

She wanted to get mad. She wanted to snap at him, tell him off, tell him that he had no right to poke his nose into a place where it didn't belong. Their friendship was never supposed to extend into her day life.

But she couldn't think of anything to say to refute him.

Was that what Namjoon was doing?

No.

Of course not.

He would never leverage that against her, using it to keep her with him. 

He was rough, blunt, controlling and a little rude but that was just the way that he was. That was the way he always was, it was all she ever knew and every relationship had its ups and downs, it was only natural. Boyfriends were naturally protective of their girlfriends and they were always looking out for them the same way Namjoon did.

Sure, her friendship with Wonho wasn't really like that, but their entire relationship was abnormal and strange, she could hardly compare it to her relationship with her future husband.

Besides, she was a simple teacher, there was no reason why he would need to go to such measures to keep her with him unless he was a sociopath who just wanted someone to control.

She gulped at the last thought and how difficult it felt to dismiss it.

"You don't understand. No one would ever want to be with me." She said to herself.

He snorted dabbed his finger in the icing and licked it off, "You wanna bet? Because I can name one person, right now."

She looked over at him and he just shrugged, "Yourself. You want to be with you, right? You don't need anyone else if that's the case."

"I…want to be with me." She worded out slowly, as if she was trying out the words.

Wonho looked at his watch before picking up the candles and sticking them back into the cake. He pulled his lighter out again and lit the candles before pushing the cake towards her.

He had always figured that Yena was a lot more complicated than she let on, but he had never considered that the mystery laid beneath her relationship and no matter how many frilly words she would try to distract him with, he would never forget that she said that she was _scared_ of her fiancé.

"You still have a couple of hours left. Make another wish, but make it for yourself."

Yena stared at his face for a moment, the yellow glow warming his features and shimmering in his eyes before closing her eyes and thinking deeply before blowing the candles out. 

\-----

"Where are you going?" Kihyun asked Shownu who was grabbing his keys off the counter while still wearing his work suit.

Shownu cleared his throat, "Out. Doing…stuff."

"Does that _stuff_ have anything to do with that bottle of wine in your hand?" Jooheon asked with a snort.

Shownu's ears burned red as he coughed, "Where's Wonho?"

"He's out smoking and you're changing the subject." Minhyuk gasped while sitting up, "Are you going to see Heiress A?"

Changkyun perked up, "If you say yes, we're totally going to follow you."

"You know, it might be hard for Wonho to be out smoking when he didn't take his pack of cigarettes with him. I wonder what he's been doing all this time if he's not smoking." Shownu pondered while picking the small cardboard box off the counter and tossing it at the boys as a distraction.

While the boys' attention immediately went to the cigarettes and possible theories about Wonho's disappearance, Shownu slid out the door with his bottle of wine and made his way out to the car that was waiting for him in the garage.

He grinned at the woman who was leaning against a car, his lips splitting even wider when she caught his eyes and brightened up.

"Hey, hon." He mumbled before pressed her up against the car and kissed her firmly on the lips before slipping the chilled bottle into her hands.

She laughed against his lips and gripped the bottle tightly as he wound his arms around her waist to pull her closer to him.

"That's one way to say hello." She laughed when he pulled away.

He made a face and kissed the side of her head before letting go of her, "You don't know how thankful I am to see you."

"Does this have anything to do with that thing with Kim Corp? Are you still stressed?" She asked, tilting her head.

He leaned towards her and pressed his lips against hers quickly, "I don't want to think about it."

"I'm not going to take him up on whatever offer he has." She assured him as they both leaned up against the car.

He reached out and brushed her hair back, making her smile, "No, I mean, you shouldn't make that decision based on me, I'm a little biased."

"It's not just you, though, my dad can't _stand_ the Kims, especially the current CEO. He totally hates him but he'll never tell me why. Either way, the little Kim isn't going to have his way." She said firmly.

Shownu chewed on his lip, "You think so?"

"I know so. But you better be ready for him to retaliate when he finds out that he's not getting his way. _We_ won't be a secret for much longer, I bet." She said while watching Shownu's expression.

He leaned his back on the car and turned to her, "I don't think I'd mind, but I know that you're more private than I am and that's saying a lot."

She laughed lightly and stared straight ahead with a small smile, "I don't mind either."

"Really?" Shownu asked with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah, so don't screw this thing up, I'm too invested in you."

"Promise." He said softly.

She let out a breath and turned to Shownu, "So why do _you_ hate the small Kim so much, it's not just business, is it?"

"No, it's not." He admitted, "But it's a bit of a long story."

She understood what he was saying and nodded, "Another time, then."

"Yeah and we should go before one of them actually tries to follow us." He said, grumbling the last part.

She snorted and tossed him her keys before walking around to the passenger side of the car. He followed her with his eyes, his heart suddenly filled with happiness just by looking at her.

"Hey, Cho Hyerin."

She laughed brightly, her cheerful tinkle ringing out in the underground garage before she looked over at him, her eyes curving up cheekily. "Yeah?"

"I love you." 

\-----

"Where did you get those?" Namjoon asked when he saw Yena come home.

She looked at the roses and felt no panic, "I bought them on my way back from a run. They're pretty right?"

Her lying had gotten a lot better and a lot more guiltless.

He narrowed his eyes, something about her voice sounded mocking, "By the way, I saw it was your birthday. I must've forgotten, again."

"Oh." Yena said while putting the roses in a vase, "It's okay. I had a really good day, anyways. I had a lot fun, so don't worry."

Namjoon's eye twitched at how indifferent she sounded. Last year she was so broken hearted when he forgot until he said happy birthday at the end of the day and when he did, she was a puddle at his feet, gushing over him even on _her_ birthday.

He expected the same this year but now it was like she barely heard him.

He watched her set the glasses on the center of the table as she admired the flowers, "To be honest, I didn't even realize that you forgot."

He stiffened as she walked passed him and headed up the stairs. She had been acting different lately, first forcing him to let her friend be in the wedding party, then her morning outburst, challenging him like she stood a chance, and then now.

He looked back at the vase of roses before looking back up the stairs where she had disappeared off to.

He didn't know what was going on with her, but he didn't like it.


	15. Chapter 15

_Yena leaned against the cabinet in her bathroom, her eyes barely open, still taunting her to sleep as she weakly brushed her teeth._

_Oh, what she would give to crawl into bed and cuddle with her fiancé right now._

_"Babe."_

_Speak of the devil._

_She grunted tiredly and glanced over her shoulder to see him walk up to her._

_Wonho looked up from his phone before turning it to show her, "What's a polite way to say, 'I don't want to fucking go to your boring fucking luncheon, I'd rather shoot myself in the fucking head. But, please continue doing business with us because I need your fucking money.'"_

_She snorted and spit out the foam before washing her mouth, "Probably with a lot less 'fucking'."_

_"But that's my speciality." He said while wiggling his eyebrows at her through the mirror, making her groan while shoving him away._

_In a swift move, he tossed his phone on the sink counter, wrapped his arm around her waist, spun her around and pinned her to the wall._

_He leaned over her so their noses were brushing and scanned her eyes with a smile, "You look beautiful, by the way."_

_"Oh thanks. I tried really hard as you can see." She said dryly while pointing at her messy hair and wrinkled attire._

_He grinned lazily, "Works for me." Before leaning over to kiss her._

Yena woke up with a start, a thin sheen of sweat sticking to her skin even though her fingers and toes felt frozen. She sat up and leaned her back against the headboard and stared down at her lap, goose bumps pebbled on her skin as she tried to control her breathing. 

This needed to stop happening.

Ever since her birthday, she found herself continuously having dreams about Wonho, even though she didn't want to. The last week was filled with delirious dreams of Wonho laying in bed with her, Wonho visiting her at work, Wonho smiling at her while holding her hand and even… Wonho standing at the end of the aisle. 

It wasn't right.

When it first happened she was shaken, she couldn't even look Namjoon in the eye whenever she spoke to him, she felt like she was betraying him, even though she couldn't control her dreams.

And meeting up with Wonho at night didn't make it any easier, her dreams would feel so vivid that sometimes she'd get scared she'd mix up what happened in real life between what happened in her dreams. Whenever he'd look at her, she'd feel as though he knew exactly what she dreamed about.

Like he could read her thoughts.

Yena glanced over to her left where Namjoon was asleep before slowly slipping out of bed and padding her way to the bathroom. Slowly, it started getting easier, suddenly she didn't feel so bad whenever she had those dreams and staring Namjoon in the eye wasn't as hard.

Dreams don't mean anything, Wonho was often on the last people she saw at night before she went to bed, so it was only natural that her subconscious remembers him clearly.

She knew, she looked it up.

The only strange thing, to her, was the role Wonho always played in her dreams.

He would always replace Namjoon. The dream version of herself acknowledge _him_ as her fiancé and he'd be the future CEO, not Namjoon. But despite that, he'd still have the same, tongue-in-cheek personality that the real Wonho had.

The dream version of herself thought about her life and her fiancé in a way that the real Yena wouldn't dare.

Yena splashed water on her face before staring at her reflection. She titled her head and stared at her features, trying to look at them all at once without singling out one specific one. She wanted to see herself as a bigger picture.

_Are you happy?_

If she was happy, she wouldn't be awake at 3 in the morning after having a dream about another man that made her feel better than the one she was sleeping next to.

\-----

"So hey…" Airin trailed off as she watched Yena pack up at the end of the day with all the students long gone.

Yena raised her brows and glanced up at her friend, "What's up?"

"When am I going to meet your fiancé?"

Yena hesitated for a second before smiling, "I know, I know, he's just been really busy, it's hard to pull him away from work. I promise I'll try to get us together for dinner before the wedding."

Airin smiled slightly with a light nod as she stared at her friend whose eyes seem to continuously get dimmer, whose smile got progressively faker and whose eye bags got visibly greyer. 

She looked ill.

At first she brushed it off, thinking that Yena was just having a bit of a slump, but it just didn't settle right with her and all she could think of was brunch. Ever since she got the email about the changed time, Airin started to feel uneasy about Yena's fiancé.

Why would he only email her about the time change? If it was that important, why didn't he tell the other women that he thought the time had changed? And it didn't help that whispers were starting to float around.

"Since we've never met, what's he like? How does he treat you? You like him right?" Airin blurted out in a rush.

Yena stilled and slowly lifted her head to gape at her friend, "Y-yeah of course." She worded out slowly.

Why were people always asking her that?

"I really want to meet him before you get married."

Yena gave her a strange look, "Um…sure, I said I'd do my best. Why all the sudden questions?"

Airin stared at her, long and hard, as if she was conflicted, scaring Yena. Airin was never this serious before.

Her friend let out a breath and rubbed the back of her neck while rocking awkwardly on her heels, "Okay um…this is weird. I don't really know how to say this and I might totally be crossing the line and I don't want what I say to ruin our friendsh--"

"Airin…you're freaking me out." Yena said quietly.

Airin nodded and cleared her throat, "When I was at the café, looking for you for the wedding planning brunch, I heard some people talking about you and your fiancé."

"O-oh." Yena stuttered, feeling her throat constrict.

Had they seen her with Wonho?

Or worse, had they found out about the incident?

"Actually, they were talking more about your fiancé. Apparently, there are some rumours about his business."

Yena felt anxiety claw up her throat but she did her best to seem unaffected as if she was asking about the weather, "What rumours?"

She hadn't heard any rumours.

Nor did Namjoon mention them.

"I--"

"Ms. Lee?" Both women turned to see a parent standing by the door next to their son. "You wanted to speak to me?"

"Oh yes, of course, I'll be right there." She said quickly before turning back to Yena, "You know what? Never mind, rumours are rumours, right? The more attention you feed them, the worse they get. I'm sure it's just nasty people who are jealous of you. Just forget about it. just…I just want you to be happy, you know? You deserve so much."

Yena smiled weakly, her voice barely coming out in a rasp when she heard the desperation clinging onto her friend's voice. "Thanks, Airin."

"No problem." She said gently, her eyes coated in sadness when she saw how shaken Yena looked. "Don't think about it. I really shouldn't have brought it up."

Yena shook her head, "No, you were just looking out for me, thanks."

"Call me if you need anything. I have to go." Airin said softly before giving her a hug and turning away.

Leaving her alone with thoughts that would no doubt fester in her mind and eat away at her soul until she was nothing but a hollowed shell.

\-----

She couldn't get out of her car.

She couldn't even park in the drive way.

Yena sat in her car and park at the curb away from her house with her fingers gripped tightly around the wheel.

She hated her house.

There.

She finally admitted it.

It was suffocating, it was cold, it was empty and it was no different that her being locked up in a ward.

It was decorated like a show home, not like anyone actually lived there. It was so perfect that it was almost maddening. Nothing out of place, not even the dirty laundry. Home was where a person was supposed to unwind, relax, let their hair down, but whenever she got home, it felt like she had to have her game face on all the time.

Like her façade had to be stronger than ever.

The other day she had cut her leg while shaving and when she saw the single droplet of blood on the cold white tiled ground, she stared at it before deciding not to clean it up. It looked messy and gross, but she wanted to ruin that house.

Even through a small act of rebellion.

But by the next time she entered the bathroom, it was clean, most likely by the hired staff that came by and the house was back to being unnaturally perfect.

Walking into that house was like kicking off comfy slippers and putting on shoes made of ice and spikes.

She was scared that if she stayed there for any longer, her feet would bleed and freeze off.

So she had to leave.

Yena revved her car and pulled away from the curb before turning around and driving away from her house until it was just a far spec in the distance.

She had to find somewhere warmer.

\-----

"Spending the night, huh? Things seem to be getting serious." Wonho mumbled distractedly into his cell phone that was wedged between his shoulder and ear as he worked on a dead engine.

Shownu was on the other end, huffing and puffing, "Things got serious a real long time before you all saw that Heiress A bull crap in the tabloids."

"So…marriage?" Wonho prompted as he set his wrench down.

Shownu snorted, "It's not that simple. Two heirs getting married involves a lot of politics and even more media and that's just…ugh."

"But you've clearly thought about it." Wonho said while leaning closer to inspect the engine.

Shownu hummed with a sigh, "Yeah, I guess I have. She's…yeah."

"I'm sure we'd like to meet her before that." He teased with a laugh.

Shownu made a sound of disgust, "The one thing I'm not thrilled about. Anyways, I gotta get back to work. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Wear a condom."

"Fuck you."

Wonho snickered and slipped his phone in his pocket as he whistled softly to himself while wiping his hands on a dirty rag. He let out a sigh before standing up and rolling his neck, working the knots out from his shoulders at the same time. It was a long day, he was up at dawn to oversee a shipment of new equipment and had back to back appointments all day long, barely having a break for lunch. He couldn't wait to get home and just pass out for the next 5 hours.

She could see him from the door, he was standing in front of a car with its hood propped up and his head ducked down as he tinkered with the insides of the car.

This was the first time she had seen him during the day since she had hit him with her car. It felt so different, like years had passed, not months. He wasn't the cocky, flirty prick that got her defences up whenever she saw him. Instead, he was that guy who made her feel like how she wasn't allowed to feel like.

Like she could set the whole damn world on fire.

She walked up to him, feeling far more in her comfort zone than when she first came to the shop and stood behind him, staring at the way his shirt stuck to his back from sweat. Her lips quirked up as she reached up and tapped him on his shoulder. He hummed with a groan before turning to look over his shoulder. Wonho's heart stopped and his lips parted in shock as he did a double take when he saw her. He froze and looked at her for 5 solid seconds before realizing that she was really there, standing in front of him with a careful smile and cautiously beautiful eyes.

"R-Red. H-Hey." He stuttered out, unable to mutter anything else out as his eyes scanned his work place, almost as if he was self-conscious. 

She had never seen him this flustered before, it was slightly amusing.

She gave him a small smile and tightened her hold around her bag, "Hi."

A silence suspended between them as they stared at each other, soaking in each other's faces, a strange heat flowing between the two of them.

"W-What are you doing here? Did something happen to your car?" He asked, his words tumbling out jaggedly as he fumbled around.

She gave him a shy smile while scratching the back of her head, "Um…not really. I just came to…um…hang out."

"At my shop?" He asked skeptically, unsure if he understood what she meant.

She bit down on her lip in a way that was far too dangerous for a woman that small, "Is that okay?"

He tripped over his words as his composure slipped away, "Oh! Yea--Sur--Oka--Yup, That's fine, Red."

He leaned his hand back to rest it against the hood of the car, but he must've forgotten that the hood was propped up and instead placed his hand on a heavy wrench that was balanced on the edge. The second his hand made contact, the wrench flipped up in the air, and dropped on his foot, making him hiss in pain.

Yena gasped as she watched him jump up and down while holding his foot, letting out short yells of pain. She tried to look genuinely concerned but it was only a matter of seconds before laughter bubbled up and escaped her lips.

He groaned and glared at her through his sweat drenched hair, "Stop laughing!"

"You're not so smooth in daylight, are you?" She snickered.

He groaned and rubbed his face, "It's not fair, your beauty blindsided me."

"So, I'm not disturbing you?" She asked him while scanning the car he was working on.

He slowly shook his head, "But, why here? If you wanted to hang out we could've meet afterwards, Red."

"I just need a place to mark homework." She said while lifting her huge canvas bag.

He tilted his head innocently, "What about your house?"

Yena locked up before a weak smile crawled up her lips, "I don't really want to be in an empty house."

Wonho fell silent, his eyes piercing so relentlessly into hers that she had to look away.

"You can use my office, it's a little messy but I can move my stuff an--"

"Can I just sit out there?" She said while pointing to a bench outside his office.

Wonho frowned, "Are you sure? It gets pretty hectic…and messy."

"Hectic is good, plus I'd feel better if I could see you." She said quickly.

He raised his brows with a shit-eating grin, "Really?"

"N-no, it's just, I don't want to be locked away, alone, and it helps to see a familiar face." She said, stumbling over her words as her neck flushed when she heard the way it sounded.

His voice fell deeply as his face grew serious, "You okay, Red?"

Wonho had the strangest ability to look at a person like they were the center of his universe. Like he would stop his entire world just for that one person.

"Yeah, I am." She said with a small smile, that even he could see right through it.

He wiped his hands again and nodded, "Alright, then sure, you can sit out there. Let me know if you get hungry or something, Red."

Yena nodded and he watched after her as she took a seat on the bench and set her bags down on the small coffee table before making herself comfortable. She tied her hair up and pulled out a stack of papers before leaning back and reading through them, scribbling something down every now and then.

Wonho turned back to the car, working away at it but he would find himself glancing over his shoulder every now and then, checking on her, making sure she was still there. In fact, there would be times when he'd just stop what he was doing to stare at her.

He was starting to feel like a bit of a creep.

Mr. Jung exited his office and froze at his door when he saw Yena sitting down, pressing smiley face stickers onto pieces of paper. He gaped at her before looking over at Wonho who was closing the hood of a car he was working on.

He cleared his throat and gave Yena a polite smile when she looked up before making a beeline to Wonho.

"Shin, you have a customer here?"

Wonho locked the hood before looking over at Yena, "A friend."

"Why is she here though?" Mr. Jung asked in confusion as he followed Wonho when he got into the driver's seat.

Wonho shrugged while watching Yena brush her hair behind her ear, "She said she needed a place to mark papers."

"And she came here?" Mr. Jung snorted.

Wonho shrugged again before turning the car on, "Yeah, I guess he didn't want to do it at her house. Woo! Purrs like a cat."

"I don't expect anything less and I'd like to point out that not that many men or women would chose a smelly and loud office to do paperwork." Jung fired back, neglecting to fall for Wonho's subject change.

He clucked his tongue and turned the car off, "It seemed fine with her, I think she likes the noise."

Mr. Jung turned to look at Yena, "She's pretty."

"And you're married." Wonho snorted.

Mr. Jung's face remained serious, "It looks like I'm not the only one."

Wonho followed Jung's gaze to the ring glinting off her finger, "I--"

"And it doesn't look like it's to you."

"Obviously." Wonho said while rolling his eyes.

"Watch your step, boy. Don't let yourself fall for someone who's already in love with someone else. It'll only end badly for you."

Wonho's face stiffened as he looked at his boss, "Who said anything about me falling for anyone? She's a friend, Jung. Don't make me say _girls and guys can be friends._ We're not in the 8th grade."

"She's also the first _friend_ who you offered your own office to. And if you're in the 8th grade, I'd be in the 10th, at least."

Wonho looked at Jung in shock but the man held his hand up, "I overheard you offering it to her when I walked by, but you seemed too busy to notice."

"I like her. She's nice, she's surprising, she's kinda funny and she's a little bit crazy." Wonho mumbled while staring at her, "But I know my place. I'm just being nice."

Jung chuckled before shaking his head, "That's your thing, isn't it? Being Mr. Nice."

\-----

Wonho had sent a text to the guys, telling them he was coming home late when he found Yena still pouring over papers hours after the shop closed for business. It didn't surprise him that he was ambushed with angry texts from his friends of _First Shownu and now you?, You're a flake,_ and his favourite, Mihyuk's angry, _I'm changing the locks._

He forgot that Hyungwon and Shownu were the only adults.

"I thought you taught elementary school kids, why are they writing you thesis papers?" Wonho asked while setting a bag of takeout food on the table.

"I-I fell behind on grading some papers, so it piled up." Yena jolted out of her trance and blinked up at him before her eyes widened, "What time is it?"

"Almost 9, Red." He said while sitting across from her and opening up the containers of food.

She sat up and looked around, noticing the setting sun, "Oh my god, I've been here for 6 hours?"

He nodded while spooning food onto a plate, "We closed like 2 hours ago."

"I'm so sorry, I wasn't keeping track of time." She said while brushing her hair out of her face.

"It's fine, Red." He said with a grin while handing the plate to her, "Gave me a chance to get a ton of extra work done."

She took the plate and groaned while leaning her head against the wall, "I think I'm giving these kids too much homework."

"Every child in your class just had shivers this very second." He joked while taking a bit of food.

She laughed lazily and propped her feet up on the table, "Maybe I should just make them watch a movie."

"At this rate I might get you fired." He teased while taking another bite.

She snorted dryly, "Not possible, the school fears my fiancé too much."

Wonho tried not to let the fact that she used the would _fear_ in relationship to her fiancé again effect him too much.

"They should be fearing you, you might not give them a smiley sticker." He said while nodding at the glittery stack.

Yena let out a loud laugh while picking up a sheet of stickers and stared at the different colours before pulling off a red one and reaching out to gently stick it on his cheek.

"I feel oddly validated." He said with a surprised look on his face.

She grinned, her eyes curving up, "The power of stickers, what can I tell ya?"

"I swear, you have magic teacher powers." He said in awe.

Time flew past the two of them like that, talking, laughing and being stupid until Yena stretched her arms over her head while letting out a kittenish mewl.

"I should go." She said softly, "It's getting late."

He nodded with a grin, trying to ignore the reluctance boiling in his stomach and walked her to her car. Once she was settled in, she rolled the window down and looked at him expectantly.

"I'll see you around." She said with a nod, "Probably tomorrow."

He smiled and leaned down closer to her, "If you ever want to drop by the shop in the day, go for it. You don't even have to give me a heads up, just show up. I'd love it."

"You'd love it?" She snorted.

He bit down on his lip and leaned a bit closer to her, "So damn much." 

She gulped when vivid memories of her hazy dream, one that was fading in her mind, flashed behind her eyes. She reached out and gently peeled the sticker of his cheek before pushing his sweater sleeve up before sticking it on the gauze wrapped around his arm. 

"Have a good night, Wonho."

He leaned away so she could start to reverse her car, "You too, Red."

He watched her drive away before walking back into the garage. Suddenly the tiredness and ache in his body returned as he let out a long yawn. He twisted his waist, working out small cracks when he heard a quiet buzzing.

Wonho stopped moving and looked around at the buzzing continued in short bursts. He moved carefully, towards the sound, trying to find it until he was standing over the bench Yena was sitting at and found the source of the noise.

Yena's phone.

He picked up the phone and stared at it before it buzzed again in his palm. A text message popped up on the screen, making all the previously unread message pop up as well. His stared at the screen and when he saw the messages, he felt his skin crawl.

**From: My Fiancé <3**

**Where the hell are you? 9:45**

**My parents are here, where the fuck did you go? 9:45**

**Goddamnit, why the fuck do you have a phone if you're not going to answer it? 9:46**

**Are you with that damn teacher again? 9:47**

**My parents are giving me hell right now, This is your fault. 9:49**

**You are an embarrassment. My parents are livid. You humiliated me. What the hell is your problem? 9:51**

**Don't even bother coming home. 10:00**

"What the _fuck_?" He muttered under his breath when he saw the saw the messages.

He turned the phone off and stared in the direction that Yena left before looking at the phone in his hand.

_What the fuck?_


	16. Chapter 16

**[VERY VERY important A/N regarding the next chapter]**

Yena walked up the front door with a little bit of excitement bubbling in her chest and a lot of pleasant shivers running over her skin.

She didn't realize that was the feeling she always got whenever she was around Wonho.

The front lights inside the house were on as she fished her keys out of her bag and twisted the door knob open and pushing her way into her house. She set her bags down and kicked her flats off before turning to the foyer and feeling her blood run cold as she looked at the ground around her.

There was broken glass.

Everywhere.

Her hands started to tremble as she slipped her feet into a pair of slippers and carefully manoeuvred her way through the glass, trying to find the place where the glass came from. She moved through the living room until her foot stepped on something different.

She lifted her foot and felt her breath catch when she saw a rose petal bent and crushed, pasted to the ground. Her eyes moved along the tiles where a trail of broken and beaten petals were scattered around the ground, an odd contrast to the juxtaposition of the sharp, broken glass.

It looked tragic.

She felt her throat close up when she saw Wonho's roses almost violently whipped around the room. She tried to swallow the spit down her numbed throat as she continued to the kitchen while watching her feet.

"You're here."

She jumped and looked up to see Namjoon sitting by the kitchen island with his blazer tossed to the side and a glass of scotch in his hand.

"I-You're bleeding." She rasped out.

Namjoon looked at his free hand, turning it over where a small gash had blood dripping out of it, onto the marble countertop.

"We should clean it." Yena said while walking to the cabinet.

Namjoon said nothing, silently watching her back as she opened the cupboard to pull out a small first aid kit. His eye twitched and his fist curled, the gash stinging in his palm. He lifted his glass and poured the contents down his throat before standing up and whipping it at her.

Yena screamed and dropped the first aid kit on the counter to use her hands to shield herself when the glass shattered against the cabinet right next to her head. She turned around and stared at Namjoon with her eyes wide open and her lips parted in shock.

"W-What are you doing?" Her voice trembled as Namjoon closed in on her.

He towered over her, his eyes blackened stone, " _We should clean it_? That's all you have to say?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." She whispered.

Namjoon scoffed dryly, "Why didn't you answer your phone?"

"My ph-" She patted her pockets before looking up at him, "I must've misplaced it. Wh-Why?"

"I called you. I texted you, I did everything but try to track you down and drag you here." He growled.

Yena opened her mouth helplessly but only a meek whisper came out, "Why?"

"My parents came. They wanted to go over details for the wedding. Remember? Or do you not pay attention to me when I talk?" He asked with a soulless laugh.

Yena looked confused. Remember? He hasn't told her any of this, "No, I didn't know they were coming."

"I told you. What the hell, don't you fucking listen?" He boomed.

Yena's brows furrowed. "No. You didn't tell me. If you told me, I would've remembered."

"Oh, so you're saying I'm a liar?" He spat at her as his eye froze over.

She felt her fingers dig into the counter as she tried to lean away from him. "N-No I'm just saying that maybe you made a mist--"

"I don't _make_ mistakes." He hissed. "They wanted to know where you were. They wanted to know why their _future daughter-in-law_ didn't respect them enough to show up. They wanted to know why a fiancé doesn't know where his fiancée goes in the middle of the night. They wanted to know why I even let you drive your own car. They wanted to know why I was letting you do whatever the fuck you wanted. They wanted to know why I was letting you walk all over me."

She gulped as a crushing anxiety started to build in her chest, "I didn't know. If I knew, I woul--"

He grabbed her arm, smearing his blood on her skin, "You keep humiliating me. You keep _ruining_ everything. You make it so fucking hard not to hate you."

"How? How am I ruining everything?" She muttered back.

His eye twitched, "Because you're acting like a bitch and I know that I didn't get engaged to a _bitch_. But isn't that what you always were? First a whore and now a bitch."

Her eyes glazed over and it felt like the shards of glass were scratching her across the face when the words hit her hard and fast with no mercy. Her heart felt like someone had reached into her chest and was squeezing it but it was refusing to explode.

His voice came out deathly calm, "From now on, if you're not out for a run then you're not going to leave this damn house without telling me first."

"I'm not a child, Namjoon. I don't have to report to you." She wheezed out as a panic attack started to push down on her, weighing down on her shoulders.

He stared at her, the vein in his neck throbbing violently as he glared at her, "You are my _wife_ and I have a reputation. I will destroy whatever or whoever tries to ruin it. So if you disappear for random hours at night, you put _everything_ at risk. I can't spend my time running after you, babysitting you. You're a grown ass woman. Start acting like one."

"Namjoo--"

He stepped towards her and when she moved her foot back, a piece of glad slid along her heel, making her hiss in pain when it was cut open. She could feel the hot blood coming out with a sting.

"I told you never to make me apologize on your behalf. You made me do that to my own parents. You are useless and a fucking goddamn disgrace. But you knew that already, don't you?"

He lifted his hand and Yena felt her heart drop when he brandished a shard of glass that looked too much like a knife.

"Namjoon…" She said warningly, her voice trembling in fear.

He just grinned before letting it slip from his hands and clatter on the ground, He leaned close to her so that she could catch the waft of scotch on his breath.

"That. Don't forget what you just felt. Feel that every time you see me and don't ever humiliate me again."

She watched in horror as he wiped his own blood on his crisp white shirt before yanking the first aid kit out of her hand.

He walked away, stepping over the shard of broken destruction without even flinching in pain. Instead, without as much as a grimace, he continued up the stairs, leaving nothing but a trail bloody footprints in his wake.

Yena stared at his terrifying prints before her knees gave way and she crouched over broken dreams and shattered delusions as silent cries of anguished escaped her lips as she sobbed.

This was her life.

Her broken, convoluted, mess of a life.

\-----

"Don't hate me." Airin said as she chased after Yena who was walking towards her classroom.

Yena glanced at Airin while trying not to hiss in pain every time she shifted her wait onto her heel, "What's up?"

"I can't go dress shopping with you today. I have lunch detention duty." Airin said with a pout.

Yena stopped walking and turned to her friend, "What, why not? I made the appointment just because this was the first time our lunch breaks lined up."

"I know. I know. I'm horrible. Is there any way we can reschedule?" Airin begged.

Yena let out a huff and groaned when she leaned on her heel and pain rung out through her body, causing her to squeeze her eyes tight.

Airin gasped and whimpered, thinking the groan was because of her, "I'm sorry."

"No, No." Yena said as she fought through the pain. "I'll call the boutique and see if they' have another opening."

Airin smiled softly, "Thank you, I'm so sorry. B-But, it you shouldn't waste the appointment. Go in, try on a few and save the best ones and we'll pick out the best on together."

"Sounds good." Yena said softly.

Airin nodded before glancing at Yena's foot, "Are you okay? You're limping."

"Uh, oh yeah. I hurt it when I went for a run last night." Yena lied quickly.

Airin frowned, "Be more careful, yeah? And for the love of God, go run at a gym."

\-----

"31B, 31C, 31D, 32A…" Wonho mumbled as he walked down the hall, counting each room number.

God damn this school was huge.

When the secretary gave him the room number and he didn’t think it would be hard to navigate through. Frankly speaking, what kids need 3 separate cafeterias?

He would've gone after her and gave her phone to her at her house but then he had realized that he only knew the intersection near her house, he had no exact idea where she lived, but Shownu knew the name of the school which was why he was walking the halls as if he was a student himself.

Finally, he reached 32C and looked through the little window to see Yena sitting at her desk, twirling a pen between her fingers, probably on her break. He knocked softly on the door, making her look up at him. Amusement lit up his features when he saw the look of absolute shock on her face as her pen tumbled out of her fingers.

He opened the door and stepped in while holding up her phone, "Hey, I just wanted to come by and drop--"

"IT'S HIM! AHHHHHHH!"

Wonho froze and slowly turned his head to rest of the classroom where a group of 25 kids were stumbling out of their chairs, racing straight at him with all their might. He looked at Yena in fright but she could only stare at him, stunned, as her students tackled him.

"I-I…wait. Kids…hold on." He grunted as they latched onto his waist like he was made of candy, stickers and everything kids loved.

Yena slowly stood up but stayed in a silent daze as some of the boys in the class grabbed onto Wonho's biceps and yelled at him to lift them up. He was half out of his mind as he complied to their wishes and heaved them up while balancing with the girls squeezing the life out of him.

"I-Um…" He looked over at Yena, "Ms. Ahn…care to help?"

Yena snapped out of her trance and clapped her hands, "Alright guys, back to your seats. Let's leave our guest alone."

"Guest? He's your husband!" Hyae squealed as she looked up at Wonho with hearts in her eyes as she hugged him tightly. "He's like a prince."

Wonho stared at the little girl while awkwardly patting her head before looking back at Yena who looked stricken.

"O-Oh okay guys, I'm being serious, if you don't want detention head back to your desks. Now." She said sternly.

The kids screamed before racing to their desks, finally letting go of Wonho.

"Start on your homework, I'll be back soon." She said while walking over to Wonho and took him by the arm, dragging him out of the room, closing the door behind them.

"That was something." 

Yena spun on her heel to face him, "What are you doing here?"

"Phone. You left it at my shop." He said while holding it.

She gulped and looked around, "Did anyone see you? Any teachers? Any parents?"

"No, not other than the secretary." He said while wiggling her phone in front of her.

She sighed in momentary relief before taking it from him, "Thanks."

She didn't need rumours spreading of a mystery man coming to her work place to see her. The only thing worse than tabloids were gossiping teachers and it didn't help that Namjoon knew most of them, or at least the managerial faculty.

If word got around…

She turned it on and stared at the messages from Namjoon and felt her entire body turn cold, "D-Did you read my messages?"

"I had to turn it on to know whose it is." He said while watching the colour drain from her face. He was trying to monitor her reaction, but it was getting too hard.

She looked at him and gulped, "He isn't normally like this. He never means it, he just gets fired up. He doesn't actually say this stuff to me. It's just been stressful and we all snap every now and then. Don't misunderstand."

"That sounds like an excuse." His voice was rid of all amusement as he watched her carefully.

Yena looked at him before holding up her phone, "Thanks for dropping it off. I should go back."

"Red, y--"

"Actually." She said, cutting him off and she faced him, "What are your plans for lunch?"

He blinked at her before knitting his brows, "I didn't have any."

"Do you mind spending it with me? I'll buy."

\-----

"Wedding dresses?" He balked as the two of them stood outside a boutique.

She nodded while opening the door, "I made an appointment and my best friend couldn't make it."

"Welcome to Vows!" Two chipper employees cheered when the pair of them stepped in.

Wonho shifted awkwardly on the balls of his feet as he rocked back and forth behind Yena. The store was wall to wall white dresses with soft piano music wafting in the background as the scent of potpourri filled his senses.

He wasn't as rough a guy as his exterior implicated but even this was too much for him and made him feel out of place.

This wasn't his scene.

"Hi, I have an appointment at 12 to try on dresses." Yena said with a smile.

The women checked a leather-bound log book before smiling, "Oh yes! How exciting! And is this the lucky fella?"

Wonho became stiff as he looked at Yena in a panic who just smiled with ease, "Yes, he is. I know it's a bit unconventional but we wanted to pick out our top 5 favourites together and then I was planning on coming back to pick _the one._ "

Yena slid her arm naturally through Wonho's and pulled him to the back of the store as the employees chatted them up casually.

"What're you doing?" He mumbled to her as they trailed behind the two cheery women.

She tightened her hold on his arm, her nails digging into the muscle, "It's harder to explain coming here with a random man than my future-husband."

Wonho said nothing and just walked arm in arm with her until they reached the fitting room.

"We've already pre-selected some dresses for you to try on. You're free to browse and pick some more if you're not happy with the ones at the back." The older woman, most likely the manager, instructed.

Yena nodded and unwound her arm from Wonho.

"If you come this way, we can get you into your first dress."

Yena started to walk away and Wonho flailed his arm helplessly, trying to pull her back to him, but she was already being ushered way, leaving him stranded in a place much too fancy for a man in ripped jeans, piercings and a leather jacket.

"You seem like quite a couple." The younger employee said politely as they waited for Yena to get changed.

Wonho smiled awkwardly, "Yeah, we seem pretty different, don't we?"

"Nonsense. Opposites attract." The woman said.

Wonho nodded thoughtfully, "She brings out a strange instinct in you."

"Protective?" She asked.

He shook his head, "You know how it's in our human nature to stand at a height and feel the urge to jump off?"

"Um…I guess?" The employee said awkwardly.

Wonho let his eyes wander around the shop aimlessly, "She brings out the instinct that makes you want to take a step back and stay rooted on the ground for as long as possible because she makes you feel like you'll miss something if you leave too early."

The woman paused as if taking in what he said before a small smile worked up her lips, "I've seen a lot of future-husbands come through this boutique, saying amazing things about their fiancées but I don't think I've heard anything as honest as that."

Wonho scratched the back of his head, "If only she liked those compliments as much as you do."

"She's quite lovely." The woman said,

Wonho thought about the woman currently draping herself in rich white, "This might sound like an over exaggeration, but I swear I've never seen a woman more beautiful."

The woman swooned before looking around the shop, "We don't really do this, but how about you look around and pick out a dress for her to try on. It might be a bit more meaningful coming from you."

"I don't know anything about dresses, much less wedding ones." Wonho said quickly while stepping back.

"It's the same as picking out the ring. Get something that makes looks like it's made for her." The woman said while gesturing to the shop.

Wonho looked hesitant as he wandered through the shop, looking through the dresses, at a total loss.

They all looked the same.

He chewed on his lip as he tried not to get overwhelmed. He had no idea why she brought him here or why she had to leave him alone. 

Running out of ideas, he decided to think about Red and what she was like.

She was quiet.

She was serious.

She was deep in thought.

She dressed like the first lady.

But every now and then, he'd catch these bursts of amazingness where she'd make him doubt if he knew who she was.

His mind fell back to her fiancé's angry, threatening texts and felt his chest weigh down in anxiety. Maybe she was right, maybe he was just like that through texts, maybe he just got really mad and spoke out of turn. Maybe when she went home, he showered her with apologies.

But maybe he didn't.

Maybe he treated her like that all the time.

How the hell was he supposed to know if she would lock up whenever he brought it up.

So that's when he decided.

He wanted to find her dress that would make her so painfully beautiful that she would only think about herself on her wedding day.

After 10 minutes of making himself dizzy with white, he finally pulled out a dress and handed it to the woman to take to Yena. He felt the awkwardness return when he saw the excited smile on her face as she scurried behind the curtain where Yena was.

"Here's the first dress." The employee said before pulling the curtain back to reveal Yena who was standing on an elevated platform with 360 degree mirrors and small spotlights directed at her.

Wonho tucked his lips into his mouth when he saw the monstrosity that was wrapped around Yena's body. He stayed stone faced as he resisted the urge to laugh when he tried to take in what looked like pounds and pounds of silk and tulle.

"Why are you making that face? What's wrong?" She asked with a frown when he looked like he was holding his breath.

He held back his laugh and nodded at her, "What do you think about it?"

She looked down and sighed. "I look like a bloated cake."

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm sure you'd be a very delicious cake." He said jokingly.

She made a face and turned to the woman, "Let's try the next one on."

The curtain was pulled and Yena went to change into another gown. After 15 minutes of rustling, the curtain was pulled back again and Wonho looked up unknowingly making the same face he did before.

Yena self consciously patted the large puffy bow that was jutting out of her shoulder strap. "Well?"

"It's avant-garde." He replied simply while taking in the bizarre mermaid ruffle skirt.

Yena looked at herself in the mirror and titled her head, "It's not that bad."

"Can you walk in it?" He asked.

Yena took one step forward and nearly toppled over if it wasn't for the employee that caught her arm.

"Yeah, I think I need to try the other one." Yena said while shooting Wonho a look that made him smile.

"Here it is." The manager exclaimed as she revealed the next dress.

Just as Wonho opened his mouth, Yena already held her hand out to stop him, "I know, it's not white."

"You look good in beige." He quipped as he stared at the satin mess.

Yena rolled her eyes, "I thought red was my colour."

"You're the damn rainbow, Red." He said with a grin that had the other two women suppressing their squeals.

Yena shook her head good naturedly before turning the women, "Let's try another one."

"He's handsome, isn't he?" The manager whispered to Yena as she helped her into the short dress.

Yena blinked and looked at them, "Wonho? Yeah…I guess."

"I guess?" The woman snorted. "If I was 30 years younger I would've given anything to marry a bad boy like him."

Yena chuckled as she was being zipped up, "Bad boy? No. He looks like one, but he's probably the biggest fluff ball in the world. He smokes and dresses like he's part of a gang but he goes to poetry readings just to support his best friend."

It was strange.

She was trying on wedding dresses in front of a random man, but she could feel the jitters running over her skin and the bubbling excitement in her stomach. Maybe it had to do with the sheer fact that she was going to find _the_ dress for her big day.

Or maybe it was just who she was with.

It made her forget the horrific incidents of last night.

She placed her hand over her chest to feel her heart beat racing. It was a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time and she didn't understand what it was. She never felt this way with Namjoon, so why did she feel it with Wonho?

"I guess that's what being in love is about, right? You're with someone who sees beyond the image you put up. You let them see the real you." The younger woman said while fixing the small bejewelled headband on her head. 

If Namjoon was here, he would've already picked out the dress for her and made her get it regardless of if she liked it or not or if she could walk in it or not. He probably would've been on his phone half the time, barely paying any attention to her.

And here was a man she wasn't even engaged to, waiting patiently for her to change into 5 different dresses without a single complaint and egged her on to make her own choices with what to pick.

Yena fell silent and watched her pull the curtain back to show Wonho who was waiting with his hands in his pockets. She took the moment to take in his features carefully.

He _was_ handsome.

He had bright eyes that curved when he smiled, smooth skin ,big lips, straight teeth, a cute nose and ears that stuck out _just_ a little.

"It looks cute." He said while scanning her dress with a feather skirt.

He was right when he first met her.

He always had a soft spot for women with a dangerous pair of legs.

She ran her fingers along the feathers, "I think I might get a rash with these. I should try the last one on."

Again, the curtain was pulled and was slipped out of her current dress and waited as the women pulled out the net one.

"This the last dress." The woman said while unzipping it.

Yena looked at the dress before stepping into it, "I didn't see this one before."

"It's a special dress." The younger employee said with a giggle, "One just for you."

Yena pursed her lips curiously and turned to face the mirror as she was being zipped up. Her eyes widened as the material slid over her body and pooled at her feet like melted pearl. The women clipped the back of her dress so it fit better, but still made a point to turn her back to the mirror so they could show her the detail on the back cut outs.

Her skin looked like it was glowing and every part of her body seemed to be accentuated.

The women gave special attention to her veil and hair before one of them stuck their head out from behind the curtain, "Ready?"

Wonho nodded at the woman's enthusiasm and waited as the curtains were pulled back to reveal the bride-to-be.

Wonho never understood what made a woman in a wedding dress so much prettier than a woman in any white dress. He never got why there was this huge expectation about wedding dresses that was supposed to make a single person look heaven sent.

It was a dress for God's sake.

It wasn't that he thought wedding dresses weren't special. He just never understood how it was able to make someone look that much better. He'd seen it in movies and heard about it from married friends, seeing their woman in a wedding gown blew their minds but he just never grasped how that was possible.

Until now.

When the curtains get drawn back, he felt his heart stop.

Her hair was gathered and fell over one of her shoulders as she stood with a makeshift bouquet in her hands. She had a short veil over her eyes but they still shone through the mesh fabric.

And the dress.

That dress shouldn't be legal.

Why did he even give it to her?

"Well?" She asked softly as the simple silvery silk dress poured over her curves like it was liquid diamond.

He took a step closer to her to get a better look but it felt like he was just being draw in, like he was in a trance.

He was in awe.

Yena watched in trepidation as he moved closer, his eyes trailing over every inch of her and it was like the closer he got to her, the harder it was for her to breathe. When he was standing on the platform, he reached out to touch the fabric, grazing the tips of his fingers against it.

He was motherfucking blown away.

Yena's breath caught and her heart raced when she felt the heat of his palm against the bodice of the dress.

He tilted his chin back and met her eyes with his own dazed ones.

"You look beautiful." He muttered.

No woman should look so beautiful.

Goosebumps started to pebbled on her skin when his hand stayed on her waist, spreading a dizzying heat across her body.

"You two should dance."

Wonho and Yena flinched when they heard the woman's voice from across the room. She was fiddling with the stereo system when they turned to her.

"Huh?" Yena asked in a haze.

The other woman stepped off the platform to give them room, "Well, unless you're planning on wearing a second dress for the reception, you need to make sure that you can dance comfortably in this dress, especially for your first dance."

"Uhh…" Yena looked at Wonho whose hand was still on her waist. "I guess."

Wonho removed his hand and instead reached for hers before helping her off the stool she was standing on.

When the music started flowing louder, he trailed his fingers down her arm and laced their fingers together before using his other hand to pull her towards him by the waist so that they were standing chest to chest.

Yena wanted to hold her breath as they swayed together but she was far too distracted by the way he stared at her at such a close proximity. He carefully let go of her hand so that he could have both his arms around her waist, and like clockwork, her hands locked behind his neck, her fingers occasionally running through the short ends of the hair on the back of his neck.

He found himself pulling her closer and closer until their noses were pressed against each other. His eyes darted to her lips on instinct but felt immediate regret after.

She was far too enticing, he was far too weak and she was picking out a dress for another man.

To overly simplify.

He tilted his neck so their noses were next to each other and he could feel her breath on his mouth.

He had shivers running down his veins.

"Do you like this dress?" He mumbled softly to her while watching her face.

She licked her lips, something that Wonho was realizing was a fucking K.O. before looking up at him, "It's nice."

"Is it the _one_?" He asked with a slight smile.

"I don't think I would've picked it out myself, but damn, I like the way I look in it." She snorted.

Wonho let out a loud laugh before unconsciously pulling her closer to him, Yena's smile turned into a hiss when her face crumpled into a look of pain when she leaned on her foot wrong. Wonho's laugh died as he pulled her away from him to look her over.

"Are you okay?"

A pained growl built in her chest as the pain seared through her foot. "Yeah." She breathed out.

Wonho saw her lean off of her foot and in a second was on his knees, carefully lifting the hem of her gown up to reveal her bandaged foot.

He looked up at her with knit brows, "What the hell happened? You were fine last night."

She stared at him and felt the back of her eyes burn. She couldn't lie to him like she did with Airin because he knew better than anyone that she didn't go running last night.

"I tripped in the morning." Her voice cracked and his brows raised when he heard the tone change.

He lifted her foot and looked at the bottom of it before gaping up at her, "You tripped and made yourself bleed?"

Yena huffed and pulled the dress out of his hands and dropped it to cover her foot. "Stop."

He stared at her covered foot before standing up to catch her eyes. "Does this have anything to do with those texts from last night?"

"Of course not." Her voice cracked again, only making his frown deepen.

"Lie better." He growled at her. "Did _he_ do that to you?"

Yena looked up at him, her eyes glassy and covered with a thin, barely noticeable coat of tears. "It's not that simple."

"If he hurt you? Actually yeah, it's really simple." He muttered as his fingers curled into fists.

She shook her head, "You wouldn't understand. You can't just sum it up in a short sentence."

"Maybe if you gave me a damn chance to understand, I could." He said through his teeth.

She tilted her head and looked at him challengingly, "You don't know me Wonho, we barely know each other. I've known you for what? 2 months. It's not easy to confide in someone you've known for that short time."

Wonho had to admit that he felt the burn on that one.

Maybe he was delusional or maybe it was one sided, but he had thought that he was really close to Yena, that they had an actual relationship that extended beyond friends that saw each other a couple of hours a night.

"Have I ever acted like someone you can't trust?" He asked.

She shrugged and adjusted her dress, "Have you? Because I don't know anything about you aside from where you work and live. How can I trust you, if you can't trust me?"

She looked over at the two women who were watching them in concern when they stopped dancing, from across the room, near the stereo. "I'd like to get changed."

Wonho took a weak step back before being ushered away by the women as they scurried to close the curtain.

What made it worse was the last thing he saw before the curtain blocked his view was her tears spilling onto her cheeks as she tried to turn her head away. But after she got changed, her face was rid of any evidence of her crying, she didn't even have any redness in her face. The only thing giving her away were the employees who kept hovering over her like a child, worrying over her.

"I'm sorry I pried." He said as he followed her to her car with his hands in his pockets.

Yena stayed silent for a while before her arm slowly wound around his bicep. He looked over at her before looking straight ahead.

"I get it." He said quietly, "It's your life and no one knows it better than you, but if you're getting physically hurt, the context sort of changes."

She shook her head, "I'm not getting physically hurt. It was a one-time thing. I just stepped on something that hurt me."

He chewed on the inside of his cheek, discomforted by the feeling of red flags popping up, but he tried to push them aside. "If you're scared of him, the--"

"Wonho." She said firmly, "You're making this out to be more than it actually is. You're getting carried away with your imagination."

He shook his head in defeat, "I hope, I can be someone who you can actually talk about shit like this with." He said when they reached her car. "Because it's getting hard to dance around it like it's too taboo for us to talk about."

She let go of his arm and walked to her side of the car and looked at him from over the hood, "I feel the same about you."

"Is that what it would take? For you to actually talk about your relationship with me? For me to just air all my dirty laundry?" He balked.

She shrugged and unlocked the car before opening the door.

"You show me yours and I'll show you mine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!![IMPORTANT]!!!!!
> 
> The next chapter will include some very heavy, quite possibly triggering content.
> 
> I know my readers have gone through different experiences throughout their lives and I just want to warn you that Chapter 17 will be heavy. I think Chapter 18 will also be heavy but I'll let you know in the A/N of the next chapter. I'll always make sure to give you a lot of warning in advance when I can.
> 
> So I suggest that if you have anything you're afraid of being triggered that you skip this chapter. It IS detrimental to the plot, but look out for yourself first.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content in this chapter may be triggering as it deals with suicide. Read with caution.

"W-What are these?" Yena asked the next day after she tied the laces of her running shoes.

Namjoon looked up from his book and glanced at the bouquet of roses in a vase, "Since your old ones got ruined."

"You bought them for me?" She mumbled as she walked into the kitchen.

He hummed casually, "Think of it as a gift."

Normally, Yena would feel her heart melt and butterflies would spin a frenzy in her gut. She would've swooned at the thought that he had done something as romantic as buying her roses for no special reason.

But now she just felt dirty and cheap.

He threw a solid glass cup at her, nearly clocking her in the head, he called her a bitch and a whore, he blamed her for an honest mistake and didn't think twice about her own cut and took the first aid kit for himself.

And he thought that roses would fix it all?

He destroyed every glass and ceramic object in this house but he had the audacity to just stare at her like he had done nothing wrong and had never acted out of character.

"Do you like them?" He asked while staring at her.

Yena pulled a water bottle out of the fridge and cracked it open, taking a swig while looking at the vase.

"I don't really like pink."

And she turned on her heel and walked out.

\------

"This…this right here is the roof of my high school." He said while stretching his arms out.

Yena chuckled and hugged herself, "I deduced that much."

When she had met up with Wonho at the park, he had come in a car, not his usual motor bicycle. He dragged her away saying that he had somewhere special to take her. And when he helped her climb over a chain link fence and when he held her hand and ran across a soccer field with her, he made no attempt to explain what they were doing there.

He just seemed very determined to get her there.

And when forced her up a rickety steel ladder, she couldn't say much aside, a few mumbled curses about how he was going to get her killed. But when they finally made it to the rooftop, she had to admit, it was a view to die for. 

Wonho hummed happily as he walked to the furthest corner of the roof and crossed his arms over the guardrails.

"The group of us used to skip classes to come up here or we'd sneak up for lunch on warm days. But back then we didn't have guard rails." He said as Yena stood next to him, to get a glimpse of the view.

"Why?"

He said silent before sighing, "They put them up after a student jumped off."

"Student? Really? That's horrible." Yena said in shock.

Wonho closed his eyes and rested his chin on his crossed arms, "That student was my best friend."

"W-What?" Yena breathed out in shock as she stared at him with wide eyes.

The gentle breeze ruffled his soft hair as he hummed tiredly, "He was my first friend. I met him on, like, the first day of kindergarten. We've been stuck at the hip ever since and once I met our other friends, I introduced him and it was like we all knew each other our whole lives. The 8 of us just clicked. When we met his sister it was the 9 of us and we were just one big family that looked out for each other."

Yena fisted her hands while biting down on her lip as she stared at the sight in front of her.

"Then it all came crumbling down. _He_ came crumbling down." Wonho said gently.

She looked over at him, "What do you mean?"

"The principle and the police raided his locker one day, found a bunch of drugs hidden in it and a whole crowd of students came forward saying that he sold them a bunch of uppers and weed during exam season. What should've been a slap on the wrist, became the front page news, he wasn't super well off, so people believed that he would turn to dealing drugs for the extra cash. The faculty wanted to make an example out of him and did whatever they could to ostracize him and make him public enemy number one." He mumbled.

She looked at him in confusion, "He didn't do it?"

"He swore he didn't and we believed him, we were probably the only people on his side. I knew him my whole life, he cared about things like music and school and getting into university. He wanted a future, one where he could pay his parents' mortgage and get Danah through grad school if she wanted. Not dealing out dope. We were suspicious about the whole thing, it didn't seem right and we wanted the person really at fault to pay but we were also just a bunch of teenagers. " He said with a shrug.

He sounded so calm, like he had told the story so many times that he had become numb to all the implications and emotions that were associated with it.

"Then what happened?" She whispered.

Wonho opened his eyes and smiled dryly, "Then, I came face to face with my worst nightmare."

_"Hey." Wonho called out to a group of girls standing by their lockers in the hall, "Do you know where Song Gunhee is?"_

_One of the girls snorted while her friends laughed, "Probably getting high in the bathroom."_

_Wonho's lip twitched as his hands curled into fists. "If you're too stupid to know the answer to the damn question then just say so or shut your mouth."_

_"Whatever." The girl scoffed while rolling her eyes. "Don't get mad at us just because your best friend is a junkie."_

_He stepped close to the girl, his eyes burning in anger, "You call him a junkie but you're the one so hooked on gossip that you might as well join an AA group."_

_He stalked away before angrily slamming an open locker shut, the loud sound ringing across the hall. The others were still in class, Gunhee was the only one who had the same break as he did and normally they'd spend it together._

_But recently 'normal' wasn't really a thing._

_Ever since the allegations and being dragged down to the police station in front of the entire school, he had never been the same. He rarely spoke and was closed off and silent, but that didn't mean they didn't see each other every day, even if he never spoke._

_He shoved his hands into the pockets of his uniform pants and slouched forward as he peeked his head into each classroom, looking for his best friend._

_He was about to walk past his locker when he noticed something stuck to it. He let out a breath and ripped it off before flipping it open, his eyes lazily scanning the note until he recognized the familiar writing._

Wonho-

I can't take it anymore.

I can't take the looks, the judgement, the whispers, I can't take any of it. They think I did this. They think I'm some horrible person that doesn't deserve anything. They tell me that I'm trash. That I deserve to go to jail, to be executed. No parent wants me around their kids and the teachers are just keeping me around until they kick me out.

I can't take it. I tried so hard to ignore it like you kept telling me. I tried hard to pretend I couldn't hear their words or their looks but I can't. I tried and I can't. It's eating away at me, I can't sleep, I can't eat. I can't even get out of bed in the morning

I love you, I love all of the guys. But I don't think that's enough anymore, I don't think that's enough to make me stay. I keep thinking that things will get better but my parents are done with me and no one in this town wants to hire me. I have no future. I have no chance.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry this is how it happened.

I'm sorry this is what I'm choosing to do, but this is the only way for me to be happy. And that's what you want, right? For me to be happy.

Well…this is me being happy.

Love,

-Gunhee

_Wonho felt his vision start to blur as his breathing started to quicken._

_"No." He whispered as his fingers crumpled the paper._

_No._

_He looked around frantically as tears blurred his vision._

_No._

_"Holy shit! Someone's on the roof!"_

_Wonho jerked his head up as he watched a small crowd of students run out the front door. He balled up the note and shoved it in his pocket before he broke out into a run._

_NO!_

_He raced down the hall, shoving his way against the flow of people aside as he raced to the emergency staircase that was prohibited for students._

_Sweat dribbled down the side of his head as he ran up the staircase, two steps at a time, panting. Once he reached the top of the stairs, he slammed his weight against it until it swung open with weighed reluctance._

_He stumbled out and looked around frantically, his heart in his throat until he found his friend standing on the legs of the roof with his backpack tossed haphazardly on the ground._

_"G-Gun." Wonho's voice shook as he stepped towards his friend. "What are you doing up there, man?"_

_Gunhee flinched and looked over his shoulder before looking back at the ground in front of him, "Don't bother. Wonho. It's over."_

_"What's over?" He asked cautiously while stepping in Gunhee's direction._

_"I don't know. My life. My future. Everything." He said before turning to face Wonho, his face to the 6 story drop._

_"That's bullshit and you know it." He rasped out, "You said those drugs weren't yours. We can fight this. Shownu's dad said that unless those kids have proof of you selling the drug, it'll be hard for them to charge you. He said that he cou--"_

_"It doesn't matter anymore, no one's going to care even if I get proven innocent." His voice cracked over his tears._

_Wonho shook his head while stepping towards him again, "What are you talking about? O-Of course it matters."_

_"They're not going to care." He whispered, "Even if I'm innocent, people are going to remember me as that drug dealer kid. They're not going to remember the articles clearing my name. If any even get published. My reputation's ruined. I have nothing."_

_Wonho felt his body tremble as he shuffled towards his friend but Gunhee lashed out, "Stay away! I swear."_

_"Gun, you have us. You have Danah, remember? What about her? You can't just leave her on her own. She needs her brother."_

_Gunhee laughed, "Are you kidding? She's better off without me, she's already having a hard time having a druggie as a brother. I can't pull her down anymore. She's a good kid with a bright future. She doesn't need me."_

_Wonho's mind was racing as he tried to latch onto something to use, "Of course she needs you. She looks up to you, she still does. And what about Seoul U? We had plans, remember? All of us."_

_Gunhee pulled something out of his pocket and threw it at Wonho. He picked it up and opened it before reading the contents of the letter._

Mr.Song Gunhee,

Thank you for applying to the Seoul University Arts program, we regret to inform you that we can no longer offer you early acceptance and must ta--

_"They rescinded your early offer?"_

_"The minute the police marched in, yeah." Gunhee said with a dry laugh. "I have nothing Wonho. Nothing. I can't take it anymore. It's too hard and I feel like I can't breathe anymore. I just want it to stop. I want the pain to stop."_

_"Gu--"_

_"It's so hard. My own parents won't speak to me or look at me. They don't believe me. They think I did it. Everything hurts so much and I feel like the longer I wait to do this, the more I'm hurting myself. I want to stop hurting myself. I just want to end it. It's better than living, it's better than remembering that_ this _is my life now. That everything I worked for, everything I dreamed for is gone now." He choked out in a broken sob._

_Wonho closed his eyes as he felt his stomach spin, "We can make it stop. We can find a way to make the pain stop. We just need to step back and figure this out. Jumping isn't going to fix it. It's not going to fix your reputation or make life easier on your parents or Danah. We can get help to make the pain stop. Just come down from there, Gun. Please, I can't lose you."_

_Gun looked at him with tears in his eyes and just shook his head. "I'm sorry. I love you." He said tiredly before closing his eyes._

_"NO!" Wonho screamed as he lurched towards Gunhee._

_But it was too late._

_He spread his arms out like an angel descending to the heaven but fell backwards to the ground with tears running down his cheeks and a weak, blissful smile on his lips._

It's over now.

_Wonho tripped over his feet and ran to the edge before looking over the edge and felt his whole world tilt on its side._

_There was so much blood._

_The door burst open and Shownu, Minhyuk, Changkyun, Jooheon, Kihyun, Hyungwon and Danah came running through door, out of breath with tears filling their eyes with each a piece of paper in their hands._

_Danah looked at Wonho who was collapsed on the ground crying and she let out a scream, "No!"_

_She ran to the edge and look over it before she started to sob, "No…no…NO! GUNHEE!"_

_Wonho leaned his back on the ground and curled up before a weight crushed down on him and before he could say another word to his friends, darkness washed over him._

_And he passed out._

Yena's knuckles turned sheet white as nausea washed over her. "I-I'm sorry."

"Yeah, that's what he said too." Wonho mumbled with a wary smile.

Yena fell silent as Wonho stared off at the skyline, glittering while telling the stories of thousands of lives moving on without them.

"We all drifted apart after he died. We were confused, angry and lost. Seeing each other meant reminding ourselves of that missing presence that we'll never get to fill. Danah moved out of the country for university, the rest of us scattered around different places. None of use went to Seoul U, though. Then, a couple of months after that, in the middle of my first year, my parents died and they all took time off and came to see me for the funeral. That's when we started seeing and talking to each other on the regular again." He explained with an honest smile.

Yena shifted closer to him so their arms were pressed against each other and gently leaned her head on his shoulder. Wonho smiled before stretched his arm out and pulling his sleeve back to reveal the bandage on his arm. She watched him slowly unravel the gauze before revealing the soft pale skin underneath.

Yena's breath hitched when he tilted his wrist and showed her the scars going up and down his skin. Cut marks. Dark, having healed with time, but the sharp lines were still evident. She reached out and grazed her fingers against the skin, her heart jumping when she could feel the slight bumps that the scars left behind.

Wonho watched her fingers move, as if they were mapping out his soul on one piece of tender flesh that he tried to keep hidden.

"I was barely hanging on when Gunhee died and then when my parents died, it felt like it was the end of the road. I didn't have my friends and I just felt numb all the time. It was unfair and I felt wronged. I wanted to feel something else, anything, even pain. And after my friends came back, I still felt detached. They didn't know right away either. So whatever it was, a razor blade, a knife, a box cutter, I'd use it." He mumbled softly as she continued to stroke his wrist.

She let out a shaky breath, "I know what it's like, to just…stop feeling. You get so used to life that you think that pretending not to feel is the best way to protect yourself. "

"We all have scars, don't we? They're just in different places, mine's just a little more _in your face_ than most people's." He said with a small chuckle.

She looked down at her feet and dropped her hand to grip the railing. "But I bet they all hurt just as much. How did you get better?"

"The easy way." He said with a hint of sarcasm. "My friend had to find me bleeding out on my shower floor with my wrist slit open, on the brink of death."

She felt her throat close up at how causally he spoke, "H-ho--"

"You can't fix people easily." He said quietly. "There are no magic words that'll make everything inside better. Seeing your friends cry for you, begging you to stop, pleading you to live with them, getting on their knees with broken words, you feel it, but it doesn't make it go away. At the end of the day, the only person that can make your problems go away is yourself."

"Easier said than done." She mumbled.

He laughed loudly. "Damn right."

"So what made you decide to stop?"

"You ask a lot of questions." He said, amused.

Her eyes widened and heat crawled up her neck, "O-oh my god, I'm so sorry, I didn't me--"

"It's okay." He chuckled. "Honestly, I don't know why I stopped. I think the time my friend found me was the only time that I ever actually got that close to dying and that's when I realized that I didn't want to go yet. Gunhee, he was my childhood. He was in all of my fondest memories and in that moment, I realized that I shouldn't live in vain. I should live the life that Gunhee left behind. But deciding you want to get better and actually getting better are two different things."

Yena felt her eyes glaze over as she tried to hold everything in.

"You know," His voice grew thick as he blinked away his own sudden tears, "The world is a scary place. It's a ruthless place. It's so hard to be strong. It's so tiring and it's so fucking tempting to just let everything consume you and take over. The world doesn't show mercy on anyone so the last person you should ever turn on is yourself. I learned it the hard way."

She looked at him, hopelessly, "How do you learn that the easy way?"

"I don't know, Red. I guess that after the blinding rage, you have to pick up the pieces. You don't really have a choice. You have to move on whether you're ready or not because the world doesn't wait for anybody. So you have to do it yourself." He said as he rubbed at his face.

Yena absentmindedly reached for his hand and watched him lace their fingers together, "I can't do things like that myself."

"Well." He said quietly while squeezing her hand, "That's why sometimes you have to do things the hard way. You'll have no choice but to rely on yourself, but I think it gets easier."

Wonho's phone started buzzing and used his free hand to dig it out of his pocket while he continued to hold her hand. He stared at the caller ID for a long time, enough for Yena to see the name.

"The Devil, huh?" She said jokingly.

He let out a breathy laugh and declined the call, "I'm a popular person."

"You're not going to answer it? I think it's bad luck to ignore a call from the devil." She said dryly.

"Well, this isn't your typical devil." He said with a sigh.

She tilted her head up to meet his eyes, "You haven't told me the whole story, have you?"

He smiled and used the back of his hand to wipe the few stray tears off her face, "If we want this relationship to last, we need to keep a _few_ things a secret."

"Well, I think you should answer the Devil's call." She said confidently.

His smile fell as he looked at her seriously, "Oh?"

"Sometimes you need to sit down with the devil and find out what he wants in return for your soul before you turn him down."

\-----

"I have one more question."

"Shoot."

"If you're in a better place now, after Gunhee and your parents' death, why do you hide your scars?"

"I guess sometimes it still gets hard to look at and to remember and seeing the way people look at you when they see it, like you're crazy, doesn't help either. But over time, it felt therapeutic, like I reminding myself that I'm healing. I'm always healing, it never stops."

\-----

"Hey. You're home early." Hyungwon pointed out when he saw Wonho walk through the door.

Wonho furrowed his brows, "Am I? It's almost midnight."

"You normally come home _after_ midnight.' Jooheon quipped.

Kihyun tossed a piece of popcorn in the air and caught it in his mouth, "What do you even do for all that time? You stopped taking your cigarettes with you and we've been going out of our minds trying to figure out where you go."

"I just hang out, walk around. It's nice outside at night." Wonho said dismissively.

"Oh." Minhyuk blurted as he sat up, "You took your bandage off. Was it off the whole day?"

Wonho looked at his wrist, staring at his scars in harsh light, "No, just for a couple of hours."

"That, good." Changkyun said from the floor, "Cool."

Wonho looked at his friends, sprawled out over each other like they were real brothers. "Do you guys…ever think about Gunhee?"

Everyone fell silent as Shownu muted the television. "That's real sudden."

Wonho scratched the back of his neck as he sat down in an empty chair, "Like, when you're doing groceries, do you ever see his favourite flavour of chips and think about him? Or when you hear hip hop music blasting in front of stores or whenever the news talks about student suicides."

"I think about him when I'm watching through campus." Changkyun said quietly. "I think about how if things turned out differently, I might've been going to Seoul U and I would've seen all of your pictures, including his, on the graduating class walls. I think about how it would be if he ever dropped by my campus to visit or how when he was in highschool he'd tell me to study."

Minhyuk smiled slightly, "I think about him whenever I get angry at work. He was always the one who would piss me off the most. He'd always try picking fights with me, even as a joke, but I could never really get mad at him. I think about him and it becomes easier to stop myself from getting mad."

Jooheon tapped his phone on his knee, "I still listen to his mixtapes on my commute."

"I eat his favourite ice-cream once a week even though I hate the way it tastes." Kihyun muttered under his breath.

Hyungwon looked at his lap and played with his fingers, "I have his picture in my wallet."

Everyone turned to Shownu who was leaning back with his fingers laced over his stomach, "I think about him at work. Every day. I spent years and so much money on tuition to get to where I am and it's not because of my dad. It's because I wanted to be someone who could defend people like Gunhee when the whole world accuses them of something they didn't do. I don't want anyone else to feel like the only option they had left was to freefall."

"We can't forget him." Wonho said softly. "So maybe we should stop pretending that we do."


	18. Chapter 18

Shownu leaned back in his chair in his office with his fingers laced behind his head as he stared at the ceiling in thought.

_Song Gunhee._

Fuck, he missed that kid.

Shownu tilted his head down and stared at the framed picture that Danah had brought him and sat up before lifting it up. A small smile worked up his lips as he brought the picture closer to his face. His thumb swiped over Gunhee's smiling face.

Probably the last the time he could remember his friend smile that brightly.

He sunk into his chair and felt his chest tighten. Why did their lives have to get so complicated? Why did they have to grow up? Why couldn't time stay frozen back when they took this picture? Why couldn't he just be a kid again?

His cell started to ring and he mindlessly reached for his phone, not checking the caller ID and answered it.

"Hello?" He mumbled distractedly.

"Baby, look I do--"

"Hey, hon." He said softly while staring at their smiling faces.

There was a pause before she spoke in confusion, "Okay, seeing how calm you sound, I'm guessing you haven't gone online, yet."

"What do you mean? What's online?" He asked while setting the picture down.

She snorted dryly, "Go see for yourself."

Shownu wedged his phone between his ear and shoulder before turning on his computer, "What am I looking for?"

"Search your name." She mumbled.

He did as she said and his eyes widened when he saw a picture of himself pinning Hyerin up against her car, with his mouth firmly on hers. Luckily his broad frame and the back of his head blocked Hyerin face from the cameras, you couldn't tell who the woman was, but it was clear that it was him and he was most definitely kissing a woman.

"Are you kidding me?" He muttered as he read the splashy headline.

_Heir of Son Law Firm revealed to be in a relationship with Cho Hotels Heiress Cho Hyerin._

"I don't even know how anyone can tell that's me, but they used my name." She muttered.

He rubbed his face as he tried to process the information, "Namjoon. That son of a bitch."

The rest of the article was filled with false information, saying that they _just_ got into a relationship and that it was very new. Or that their fathers set them up over a business deal.

They waited 3 months before telling either of their dads they were dating.

And both old men were on top of the damn world when they found out.

"Shownu, this was taken in your garage, late at night when we thought no one was around. Namjoon hired someone to follow you? Just to get a picture of us because he was what? Mad that I didn't put in a good word to my dad?" She said softly.

Shownu sat in silence as he stared at the photo, tabloids or not, he sort of liked it. "I wouldn't put it past him."

"He's a joke and his fiancée deserves way better." She mumbled.

Shownu sighed, "Who knows? Maybe he's an asshole in business and a piece of shit in real life but a sweetheart behind closed doors."

"Yeah or maybe he's just an asshole and piece of shit. He's fake." She muttered.

Shownu fell silent, his eyes drifting off for a moment as his mind went somewhere far away before he snapped out of his daze, "Well, it was fun while lasted, huh? This little casual fling of ours."

Hyerin sighed, mewling as if she was in the middle of stretching, "Yeah, I guess this is the end for us. It was one hell of a joyride."

"I'll probably go on a blind date sometime next week. Get my dad to set me up with a daughter of one of his colleagues." He said casually. 

She hummed playfully, "I'll probably see if Namjoon will leave his fiancée for me."

"Don't even joke about that." He groaned in disgust.

Hyerin laughed, her soft sound doing wonders to him, "You started it, you jerk."

"Why can't you just be here?" He whined desperately while leaning over his table. "I'd rather mope around with you."

She snorted at his childishness, "Because like you, I also have work that's important to me. Or did you forget that my boyfriend is a hotshot lawyer?"

"Sounds like a great guy. Super hard working." He snorted.

She let out a pleasant sound, "He is. I'm kinda out of his league, to be honest."

"Oh, yeah, that's very true." He said with a smile.

"But I like him. So I think I'll let him stick around." She said softly.

"Good." He mumbled, making her laugh. 

"So…what are we going to do about…this?" He asked while staring at the article.

He could hear her smile in her voice when she spoke, "Looks like Son Shownu isn't Korea's most eligible _bachelor_ anymore."

\------

"Are you going for a run?"

Yena looked up at Namjoon who was watching her from the staircase before zipping her sweater up, "Yeah."

"You've been running a lot at night." He didn't pose a question but it sounded like he did.

She shrugged, "I like running at night. It's colder."

"It's nine. Usually, you got out at 10." He said a matter of factly.

She tilted her head at him with narrowed eyes, "How would you know? You're barely home."

"The security cameras pick up whenever you come in and out of the house." He said seriously.

Yena stayed silent before nodding, "Well, I'll be back late. The gala is coming up and you wanted me to lose weight, didn't you?"

"Aren't you scared? Being out there alone? At night? By yourself?" He asked, his voice void of any real concern.

She looked over at him, unchallenged, "What's the worst that could happen?"

"You could get hurt."

She tilted her chin up before reaching for the door, "I'll take my chances."

\-----

"Have anywhere in mind?" Yena asked while she walked arm in arm with Wonho.

Ever since the night before, it had been something that she found herself doing more and more often around him. It was almost like a comfort mechanism like he was a sort of anchor. And Wonho would be lying if he said he didn't like it when she touched him so comfortably.

It made him like her more.

Just because he was comfortable with his scars didn't mean that he could expect everyone to be.

But Yena was.

And he had to admit, it was a strange feeling, having someone who didn't know Gunhee, who wasn't there when he died to know about him and all the stories that followed.

Well, not all, but most.

It was like a weight that he didn't know he had was lifted off his chest.

"Hmm…well I sort of made a decision yesterday, after we talked, and I was hoping you could lend me a hand with it." He said while glancing down at her.

She tilted her head back to frown at him, "What do you mean?"

He stopped when they reached a curb and he tugged her down until they were sitting on the ground. "You're good at drawing, right?"

"I'm okay." She said carefully. "Why?"

He dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out a permanent marker before handing it to her. He rolled his sleeve up and unwound the gauze before resting his arm on her lap.

"Go nuts."

She gaped at him, "Wh--What the hell does that mean?"

He took the market from her hand and uncapped it with his teeth before handing it back to her, "It means…go nuts."

She stared at him, at the easy going smile, the carefree eyes and looked back at his wrist that told a completely different story.

She slowly touched his skin with her left hand, as if keeping it in place before she pressed the tip of the pen on the first scar on his wrist and slowly worked her way down, connecting the lines until an image appeared.

Wonho watched her hand move before his eyes moved up to her face, taking in her flushed cheeks and bright eyes. She had a rare, pure beauty that seemed like it was too good for this world.

But he was starting to see more to her beauty, a beauty that didn't exist just on her, it existed in her aura, in the way she carried herself and in the way she spoke. It was different than it would be to most women like her.

Rich, successful with everything in the palm of their hands.

She had the kind of inner beauty that made him feel dangerous, because being around her used to be fun and entertaining. Her engagement meant nothing, not when he was just looking at her for the company.

Now feelings in him were changing.

Now he was starting to feel separation anxiety at the thought that this friendship wasn't going to last for that much longer.

Soon she'd get married and he knew that he'd never see her anymore once she did. That realization made nights like this so much more meaningful. He felt the need to grab onto every second because he knew their time together was limited.

The pair of them always had an expiration date.

It was beyond him, that he felt that strongly for her, that he found their relationship to be that important that he'd struggle so much with the thought of letting her go. He didn't know where it came from, maybe it was the fact that he had finally confided in her.

And maybe he didn't want someone who knew so much about him to just vanish…like they never mattered.

Yena curved the marker, finishing up the design when it reached her satisfaction but when he tried to pull his arm away, she snatched it back.

"I'm not…I'm not done." She said under her breath as her brows knit in concentration.

She stared at the image for a second before writing something underneath in jagged writing.

She leaned over and gently blew on the ink so it dried before leaning back in contentment. "There."

Well damn.

Wonho's smile grew as he stared at the majestic phoenix starting from his wrist all the way down his forearm. The wings were wide open with small licks of flames sparking from the tail and surrounding the two words under the drawing.

 _Gun Smoke._

It wasn't rising from the ashes.

It was soaring from the flames.

He looked over at her, taking in her uneasy smile, and grinned, "This is freaking perfect."

"Y-Yeah?"

He nodded happily and stood up, "Come with me."

\-----

"This is a bad idea." Yena mumbled as she looked around the tattoo parlor. "This is a reeeaallllyyyy bad idea."

Wonho was totally at ease as he laid on his back on the reclined seat and just smiled casually at her, "You worry too much."

"You can't get my doodle tattooed permanently on your body. Go get a professional designer to make you something." She muttered while taking in the different stencils that were plastered on the grimy walls. She was seated next to him, spinning back and forth on the stool with a pout.

He rolled his head on the headrest and looked over at her, "You're underestimating yourself plus, this is more meaningful than paying some art major to do it for me."

She turned her head to him and the pair of them locked eyes. Her lips twitched up in a slow smile as she tilted to look at him, "You're sure about this?"

"I need this, Red. And you gave it to me."

She shook her head in disbelief, "I drew on your arm and you're acting like I just saved the world."

"It's the little things, right?" He joked while beaming up at her.

"Ready?" The tattooist asked as he walked in and took a seat on the stool next to Wonho.

The tattooist looked at the drawing before nodding in approval, "That's a nice print. I've seen a lot of phoenixes, but never this nice."

Wonho looked over at Yena with a cheeky smile, "See?"

"Okay." She said while rolling her eyes before looking at the tattooist, "Make it hurt."

The man snorted before picking up his needle, "I'll make sure of it."

Wonho shot her a glare, making her smile as the light buzzing filled the room as the tattooist started tracing her drawing with his needle. She watched as the tattoo artist curved and swirled his wrist, carving art into his skin.

"Does it hurt?" Her voice sounded genuinely concerned compared to when she teased him earlier. His nose was scrunched up in a light wince.

Wonho let go of his bottom lip from his and let out a breathy laugh, "Yeah, a little, but my wrist has gone through worse."

The artist snorted having noticed the cut marks. "Cocky little prick, aren't you?"

Wonho laughed in response, "That's the only way I know how to live."

"Idiot." Yena muttered while shaking her head as she mindlessly reached for his hand.

The tattooist chuckled, "Seems like your girlfriend agrees with me."

Yena's smile started to fade but when she loosened her grip, he tightened his hold on her, tilting his head to her, "Lovely, isn't she?"

Yena looked away, shaking her head, but her fingers stayed curled around his, almost like she was afraid to let go.

\-----

"Huh." She said while inspecting the tattoo as they walked away from the parlor, "It looks really nice."

Wonho bobbed his head with a smile before covering it back up with the gauze to prevent it from getting infected. "You sound surprised."

"I don't know what I expected." She said as they strolled down the sidewalk, to his bike. "I think I assumed the worst."

He hooked his arm through hers and tilted his head boyishly, "Oh, that's no way to live, Red."

"That's not how you live, is it?" She asked softly.

He hummed while tilting his head up, "Yeah. I try."

Yena stared at her feet, wondering what it would be like if she lived like that. If she stopped underestimating the good people and overestimating the bad ones. Because wasn't that what she was doing to Wonho? She constantly underestimated him even though he never gave her any reason to.

She wondered what it would feel like to get rid of the weight that constantly felt like a cement block dragging into the depths of the ocean. What if would feel like if someone else, someone different, knew what was boiling in her head, what she had to repress.

Maybe it would make her feel more normal.

Maybe it would make her like herself a bit more.

And Wonho, Wonho was the only person that she didn't have to fear would leave her once he knew. He would sell her secrets or spread them like the plague. He might very well be the only person who didn't know a thing about her personal life aside from some scraps and pieces. He wasn't aware of who she was, what she represented and the image that could be forever tainted. 

Which meant that he could never use her past against her.

"Hey." She said gently, pulling his arm back as he started walking towards the park to walk her home.

He turned and raised his brows in response.

"Do you think, you could take me somewhere?" She asked carefully while glancing at his bike.

He followed her gaze before looking at her, surprised, "Really? On my bike?"

"Yeah, there's somewhere I really want to take you." Her voice trembled a bit and he frowned before nodding and handing her his helmet.

"Sure."

He climbed on the bike and waited for her to gingerly climb on behind him. Wonho felt his breath catch when he felt her arms around his stomach, holding onto him before resting her cheek against his back.

Goddamn, she was warm.

It was the middle of autumn, the air was chilly, itching to turn into winter, but the way she held him, he felt like his body was engulfed in the best flames possible. It was comforting, like he was wrapped up in the kind of blanket that kids would hide under when they thought there was a monster under their bed.

To be honest, he kind of wanted to twist around and hug her back.

But he was starting to get sentimental and weak.

People say that expediting a traumatic event with someone creates an intense bond, apparently the same is true for sharing a traumatic experience with someone you trust.

"Ready?"

He could feel her hum vibrate through his back, giving him shivers before he kicked up the kick stand up and revved his bike up, before taking off down the street, trying to ignore the foreign feelings invading him whenever he felt her cower against her back to avoid the wind. 

Ahn Yena was a type of fire that he was starting to find himself willing to get third degree burns for.

\-----

"So…what are we doing here?" He asked as they walked into a small café, "I don't think we've ever done more than one activity a night."

She laughed awkwardly while taking a seat near the window and sat on her hands, "Umm…well, this is the coffee shop that I used to basically live in when I was in university. I'd come here almost every day even after midterms and exams."

"You really like routine, don't you?" He said as he crossed his arms on the table to lean towards her.

She mirrored his actions before tilting her head, "Yeah. I used to. Now…not so much."

"Is that my doing? Am I corrupting you?" He said with a smirk.

She laughed slightly, "Maybe, but me and you, we still have a routine. But it's a nice routine."

"So what are we doing in your college hobbit hole, Red?" He said with a gentle smile.

She stared at him, tucking her lips into her mouth as her body started to shake. She looked down at her lap, taking in deep, panicked breaths. Wonho's smile faltered when Yena looked up and had tears glazed over her eyes.

"I told you that if you showed me yours and I'd show you mine, so that's what I'm doing."

Wonho shook his head, "I didn't tell you about Gunhee just to guilt trip you into sharing with me. You don't have t--"

"I want to, because I need this just as badly as you needed that tattoo. I want to be able to talk about things with as much peace as you when you talked about Gunhee." She rasped out.

She shook her head and pressed her fists against her eyes, "God, I'm so jealous of you."

"I'm still…not always peaceful all the time. There are days, bad days. Relapse days. It's hard but it helps if you start somewhere. Support systems are important. I wouldn't be _alive_ if it wasn't for my friends." Wonho said seriously.

Yena moved her hands and looked at him, almost like she wanted to pick a fight, "So you're saying that you want to be my support system?"

"Why not? I think without realizing it, you've sort of become mine."

She looked like she was on the brink of tears and her lips were turned down, like she was fighting back a volcano. She reached up and started violently yanking on the ends of her hair as her eyes darted awkwardly around the nearly empty café. Wonho found his nails digging into the palms of his hand as his own anxiety started to return, almost as if he was getting it second hand off of Yena.

"I-I want to tell you how I _really_ met my fiancé."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING. THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL ALSO HOLD SOME POSSIBLY TRIGGERING CONTENT.
> 
> It will be different from the last chapter's trigger warning and will involve a different set of triggers. I believe that after that chapter, I won't be discussing anything that intense. It won't be graphic or anything but the mention of certain topics might affect some of you


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter maybe triggering to some as it involves a brief and unspecific description of sexual assault. It is in italics. and NOT graphic or descriptive.

**[Trigger warning for the italicized scene]**

"I told you the truth when I said that we met in college." Yena said softly as she held onto the steaming ceramic mug that was set in front of her.

Wonho watched her carefully, stone faced, "Okay."

"We just didn't meet on the best of terms."

_She was cold._

_She was dizzy._

_She could smell her own vomit._

_She could feel her body stinging in places that she didn't want. In places she didn't deserve._

_This wasn't fair._

_She shivered while trying to hug herself, torn clothing barely held together by the seams as she curled into a ball._

_Where was she?_

_She blinked through her tears, and looked around, trying to remember what happened just moments before._

_She was…she was on campus, on her way to her dorm. She was…she was in the middle of the sidewalk near the park when it happened._

_Yeah. She was near the park._

_Her nails were red and bloody from the fight she put up but it didn't do much. He ripped at her hair, there were bloody scratch marks up her arms and the back of her neck. A broken sob left her lips when she tried to push herself up, but her arms gave way and she just collapsed on herself._

_It hurt._

_Everything hurt._

_Her legs, her face, her skin, the blood in her veins._

_It all just hurt._

_She felt frozen._

_She rolled her onto her back and let out a strangled groan when the cement dug into her sore back. She just gripped her torn shirt closer to her body and choked on her tears._

_Why her?_

_Why did this happen to her?_

_She never stayed out this late before._

_This wouldn't have happened if she just stayed at home instead of going out. She hated herself._

_Soon her cries started to get louder and her throat started to turn raw as she rolled back and forth, desperate for everything to stop and just swallow her whole. She let out an anguished scream before she forced herself up, against the unforgiving pain._

_Yena grabbed her bag and took three steps before falling on her knees with a harsh smack. She cried against when her kneecaps shredded and started to bleed._

_"No, no, no, no." She whimpered to herself. "WHY?!"_

_She sat back on her heels while wiping at her face smearing tears and blood across her cheek. Her head was swimming and she barely heard when someone walked towards her._

_"Look, no one will ever kn-- hey…what the hell? Are you okay?"_

_Yena blinked up at the voice that was blocking out the moonlight and stared up at the face that was only vaguely familiar. He was a troublemaker, she saw him cutting classes, smoking with friends. She thought he was rich, but she could never tell for sure._

_"H-Help." She mustered out with tears._

_She couldn't remember much as he dragged her up to sit near a bench. She couldn't remember the jacket he put on her shoulders and she could barely remember how fast he ran when he saw campus security and the police show up._

_She just remembered being cold._

Wonho didn't speak.

His face didn't betray him as he sat emotionlessly across from her, his eyes pinned on her face. Yena wiped her cheeks before sighing tiredly with a tragic smile.

"So that's it. That's how I met him. You were wrong. He doesn't try to hurt me, he tried to help me." She said softly.

Wonho felt guilt seep in just for a second before he remember the texts he had read off of her phone. If her fiancé knew what she went through, why would he be so critical and harsh on her? All those times in the past like when she got attacked at the park or hit on at the bar, her demeanour completely changed.

Now that made a lot more sense.

But one thing didn't.

If her fiancé was the only person around Yena after her attack and if he always treated her like that…then there was something really fucked up going on. 

And whatever it was, would explain why she _always_ apologized whenever _she_ got harassed.

"I was institutionalized." She grated out when his silence was starting to suffocate her.

Wonho's head snapped up as he stared at in her shock. "You were?"

"I would go to class and be completely checked out. I'd scream if a man accidentally knocked into my shoulder, I'd get angry in the middle of lectures if a guy was sitting next to me and I'd flip my desk. Once, I tripped and a male student tried to help me up and I scratched him across the cheek, screaming that he tried to attack me. I stood in the middle of dorm bathroom and cut my hair off with a pair of cheap safety scissors and left the clippings on the ground. I was having a mental break and I was paranoid. So I was institutionalized by the school for 3 months." She said while running her index finger along the rim of the coffee cup.

Wonho shook his head as if in disbelief, "Did they ever find the guy who did it?"

"It was so homeless man, apparently he had been harassing a lot of girls but I was the first one he ever…" She let go of the mug and her fingers started to tremble again, so she sat on them.

For once in his life, Wonho didn't know what to say in this situation. He didn't know what to say to make her feel at ease, he didn't know how to make her smile, he didn't know how to pull her mind out of the dark daze she was currently in.

He just didn't know anymore.

"I almost got electro shock therapy to make myself forget about that night. To pretend it never happened, but the doctors said that it would affect my short term memory and I didn't want that to happen. So I just sat in there, thinking, remembering, forgetting and every now and then I'd talk to a shrink but nothing would change." She mumbled to herself. "But it helped, to be away from people, from prying eyes and nosy questions."

Wonho moved his hands to his lap and squeezed them into tight fists but couldn't bring himself to speak.

"3 months later, he came to visit me. He told me that his father was getting the school to let me finish my degree through online courses so I wouldn't have to go to campus. Then after a few days he convinced me to get discharged and then he took me out to coffee and we were together ever since." She said while letting out a breath.

Wonho's brows furrowed and he couldn't help but frown, "He made you discharge? Did you want to leave?"

"Not really, I liked being there, it gave me some sense of a peace of mind, but when he asked to discharge, I thought that maybe it was about time I face the world. I knew I couldn't hide forever and that my friends wouldn't always be around if I shut myself out. Here was this guy who actually seemed to care about me and I wanted to make some progress so I left." 

Wonho chewed on his lip in thought, "And being with him, it made you feel better?"

"I moved in with him, he made sure I was protected." She said firmly.

"What about your parents?"

Yena shrugged, "They visited me but then my dad got sick and it was harder and harder for them to see me."

"So…all you had was him?" He said slowly.

Yena's brow flinched, "Yeah."

"Who else knows?"

"You." She said while meeting his eyes honestly.

Wonho swallowed the lump down his throat as he held her gaze, "Why haven't you told anyone else?"

"It's not something you exactly advertise. And my fiancé is an important person, he can't afford to have the world know about his tainted future-wife." She muttered almost resentfully.

Wonho snorted sarcastically, "Tainted? You're not in the damn 19th century."

"It is in his world. Divorcees are tragic messes that weren't good enough, rape victims are sluts that asked for it and mistresses are bottom feeders that wives are all secretly jealous of." She said ruefully.

Wonho's eyes narrowed, "And he made you think that?"

"No, he just reminds me that lightning can strike the same place twice and that I shouldn't put myself in situations where I could be in danger." She said nervously, sweating under Wonho's intense gaze.

He nodded with his lips pursed, "So he's been grooming you."

"Excuse me?" She balked.

Wonho's jaw tightened as he stared at her, "Red, you get institutionalized and then he forces you out of getting actual help after a traumatic incident and then locks you away from all human interactions by making you take online courses away from your parents and then makes you repress and hide your past so that it doesn't ruin _his_ life, while the trauma still affects you. He's grooming you into who he wants to parade around because he knows you're vulnerable, dependant on him."

"N-No. He wouldn't do that."

Wonho quirked his brow, "Yeah? Does he blame you for it? Does he tell you not to dress a certain way? Or not to provoke guys into hitting on you? Does he make you feel like if you make a mistake it'll affect _him_ ? Like he's more important?"

"Stop." She growled through his teeth.

Wonho rubbed his face with his hands and rested his chin on them, "Yena."

That was the first time he used her name since he came up with Red.

And she hated it.

"He's saying all that stuff so that you feel like he's the only one looking out for you, that he actually cares about you but he doesn't. He's manipulating you because of how vulnerable you were when he found you. He's using your trauma against you to keep you in check." He said, trying to keep his voice calm.

She was shaking a tears slipped down her cheeks, "No, he wouldn't. That would make him a sociopath. Psychotic."

Wonho wanted to say that, _yeah, maybe he is one._

He smiled. tragically devastated, "You deserve so much." He said softly, "You deserve someone who protects you because they love you, not because they're worried you might ruin their image."

"He does love me." She whispered half-heartedly.

Wonho could see how little she believed in that lie, "How…how did you really get that cut on your foot?"

"I--" She eyes flickered around his face, trying to muster up some excuse but he saw right through her.

He looked at desperately, "Please tell me the truth."

"He threw a glass cup at me." She blurted out as tears filled her eyes. "It missed. He didn't hit me, but he could've. He broke everything. I cut my foot on one of the shards."

"Fuck." Wonho said under her breath as he closed his eyes. "Yen-"

"I can't leave him." She said weakly.

Wonho looked at her incredulously, "Why not?"

"It's not that simple. I've…I've never been with anyone else. He's everything I have. He got me my job, he kept reporters out of my face and life, he gave me everything I could've asked for. I owe him. I'm not proud of it, but if I leave him I won't survive." She muttered. "Do you know how terrifying that is?"

Wonho heart squeezed in his chest, "Do you even love him?"

"He called me a whore." She said with broken sob, shaking her head. "He called me a bitch and told me that without him I'd be nothing."

If she knew what a brewing storm was, she did now while staring into his eyes. He abruptly stood up and opened his wallet before tossing a few bills onto the table.

"Come on."

Yena stared at him, stunned, before trailing after him in confusion. Once he let them out of the door, she pulled on his arm to make him turn.

"P-Please. You believe me right? I-I need you to believe me, I need you to be in my corne--"

Yena started to cry when he wrapped his arms around, one cradling the back of her neck, pressing her face against his neck and the other around her back.

"Of course I believe you, Jesus, how could I not?" He mumbled against the side of her head as he held her tight.

She clawed against his chest while breathing him in, "I don't know what to do."

Wonho could only gulp while hugging her because honestly, he didn't know what to do either.

\-----

"I don't know how I feel about this. Giving me your key was one thing, but taking me to your place is--"

Wonho snickered while unlocking the door and flicking the lights on, "Don't worry, I just need to show you something in the bathroom."

"Uh--"

Wonho stopped walking and turned to look at her, "That sounded worse that I meant."

"I get it." She mumbled while looking around, "This is a really nice place."

Wonho chuckled while tossing his keys aside and pulling off his jacket, "For 7 guys and a rich lawyer's dad paying the rent, it's not too bad."

"Where are your roommates, anyways?" She said while noticing the 7 closed doors.

Wonho hummed while leading her to the big bathroom, "One of the guys had a company BBQ which translated to _free food_ so they all tagged along, even the rich one."

"Why didn't you go?" She muttered as she watched him open the medicine cabinet to shuffle around.

"And miss seeing you? No way."

She looked at fingers as she played with them, "What I told you…it doesn't change anything does it? Between us?"

Wonho stopped moving and kept his head facing forward.

Yeah, it did change something.

He had a better understanding of her, of why she sometimes acted the way she did. Her alert defences and cautious persona made a lot more sense than it did before. Seeing her brought unease because his story was one of the past, but her story was one she was still living in.

Sending her home made him feeling guilty like he was sending her to hell voluntarily.

"You're still the same pretty girl who rammed me with her car." He said before turning around with two bottles in his hand. "Okay so, Jooheon only has blue and Minhyuk has blonde. Tonight, we're going to give you a change."

\-----

"A hot blonde. It totally suits you." Wonho said as he leaned over Yena who was sitting on a chair with her head resting on the edge of the sink as he painted the dye onto her head after bleaching in.

Yena smiled giddily, a damn sight for sore eyes, while shimmying her shoulders, "I'm excited."

"Stop moving around!" He exclaimed with a laugh, "You're making me get it all over your forehead."

"'I'm sorry." She giggled while scrunching up her nose, "I've wanted to dye my hair since I was in highschool but I never got a chance because of school policies and once I went to college I couldn't because--"

Her voice trailed off as her lips fell. Wonho glanced at her before licking him lips nervously, "How is he going to feel about this change?"

"I don't care." She whispered while tilting her head back to look at him, "I want this."

His lips grew in a slow and lazy smile that had her stomach scrunching up, "Well in that case, you're in luck because the guys have been making me do this for years so I've gotten pretty good at it."

Yena watched him hover over her as he tried to get the back of her hair coated. She absentmindedly reached out and tugged on the drawstring of his sweater. He glanced down at her again and smiled slightly when he watched her wrap the drawstring around her index finger. She pulled on one side until the other one become uneven before reaching for the other side to even it out.

He used to think that he had a special type of strength to make it through Gunhee and his parents' death, a type of strength that only he had. He was a bit cocky like that.

But seeing Yena smile and laugh a mere _hour_ after digging up the darkest parts of her past was making his own strength look like child's play.

Fuck, he didn't even think he knew what _strength_ meant anymore.

"Almost done." He mumbled before using up the last bit of the dye on her hair.

Once he was done, he stepped back and set the brush down before wiping his hands on his jeans.

"Now what?" She asked while sitting up.

He helped her up and led her to the living room, "Now we wait for it to set in."

The two of them sat on the couch and Wonho turned on the television and the pair of them sat in silence as they watched a black and white film play. Wonho's eyes drooped in fatigue and he was on the brink of falling asleep before he felt her cold fingers brush against the back of his hand. He stiffened for a second before he felt her fingers slip through the gaps of his and curl inward.

Wonho let out a breath said nothing when she leaned her head on his arm, no doubt getting hair dye all over his sweater.

Because honestly, he didn't care one damn bit.

\-----

An hour later, Wonho was waiting by the couch, letting Yena blow dry her hair in the bathroom. He had to admit that he was getting antsy.

He had no idea when the guys were coming home and he really didn't want to deal with the third degree he'd get if they found him alone with a girl in their apartment. He glanced at his watch nervously and knocked on the bathroom door when he heard the hairdryer turn off.

When he didn't get a response, he opened the door a crack and stuck his head in before freezing. He slowly pushed the door open the rest of the way before leaning against the doorframe, leaning his head on it while crossing his arms.

Well, damn.

Yena was staring at herself in the mirror, completely enthralled with herself. Her hair turned out a nice warm shade of blonde, like melted butter and honey pouring over her head and past her shoulders. She was biting down on her lip, trying to contain her smile as she ran her fingers through her hair over and over again.

She looked like a child on a snow day.

She tilted her head left and right, seeing the way it looked when it caught the light at different angles.

Yeah, there was something beautiful about the way Ahn Yena looked.

But there was something absolutely mind blowing about the way Ahn Yena looked when she was staring at herself with adoration and love spilling out of her pores.

A person holding back their smile was a hell of a sight because you could literally see the excitement ready to explode. It was something else to be able to visualize happiness like that.

Like she was _fucking_ glowing.

Yena's eyes drifted a little and caught him in the reflection, surprise washed over her expression for a second before a smile bursted out of her face.

"I love it."

"Good." He whispered.

For once in her life she didn't care about what someone else's opinion.

She glanced at her watch, "Oh, it's really late, I should get going."

"Sure. I'll walk you." He said before pulling a baseball cap off the rank before tossing it at her.

She caught it before looking at him in question, "What is this for?"

"I don't think you can think of an excuse for why you left for a run with brown hair and came home a few hours later as a blonde."

"Right." She said quietly before stuffing her hair under the cap.

\-----

Yena came home from work the next day after having a million compliments thrown at her about her hair that day at work. She had even taken extra time in the morning to curl her locks when she found out that Namjoon had left already.

Too bad she forgot that he'd be coming home early.

"What the hell did you do to your hair?" He growled.

She looked at him before her fingers tangled in her strands, "I wanted a change."

"Yeah? Well change it back. Soon." He muttered angrily. "Before the gala."

Yena frowned, "I just got it done so I can't just change it back unless you want me to go bald. I'm sure the country club will love that."

His lip twitched in annoyance, "What the hell is your problem?"

"What the hell is yours?" She fired back.

He scoffed while rolling his eyes, "You have no right to speak to me like that, I thought I made that clear."

"Or what? You're going to smack me over the head with a piece of broken glass? I didn't realize that was possible since you _destroyed_ everything made of glass already. But go ahead, maybe your aim has gotten better." She barked at him.

His eyes darkened, but instead of raising his voice or his hand, he just walked up to her and kept his voice light, "Don't forget what I did for you. That I brought you here and that I saved your life. If it wasn't for me, you would be knitting crochet blankets before taking your daily meds from your orderly."

"If I'm such a burden, you might as well send me back there." She hissed with narrowed eyes.

His lips twitched, but this time he almost seemed amused, "Blonde girls are dumb, red heads are whores, brunettes are boring, black heads just fade into the crowd and girls who dye their hair are just fake, trying to be something they're not. I guess you're trying to be all five."

"Is that supposed to scare me?" She breathed out, while maintaining his gaze.

He shrugged while slipping his hands into his pockets, "I'm just looking out for you, sweetheart. I don't want you becoming someone's toy again. That would cause a lot of problems for more than just me."

"Are you done grooming me? Can I leave now?" She said indignantly.

She saw his body tense up, an evident break in his calm persona, "Grooming you? I'm looking out for you. I'm the only person that will."

"I'm not responsible for whatever happens to you, especially if you keep parading yourself around like a show pony with a new mane." He muttered.

She nodded, "I'll keep that in mind."

"You came home very late last night. I don't like it, so start going out early from now on." He ordered.

She blinked tiredly at him before turning away, muttering so quietly under her breath, he couldn't hear her.

"Make me."


	20. Chapter 20

2 weeks. 

14 days.

It had been 2 weeks since Wonho last smoked.

He hadn't noticed that his fingers didn't itch for a pack whenever his hands were free. And he hadn't noticed that after years as a smoker, he had not felt the effects of a single withdrawal symptom.

It would take most people his age, _years_ to quit smoking, but all he needed was Ahn Yena and quit cold turkey without even realizing it. He just felt like he had no need to smoke. His mind would be too occupied.

"You want to do what?" Wonho balked as he stared at Yena.

She scratched the back of her neck, "I want you to take me clubbing."

"Like…at a club?" He said as he stared at her dumbly.

She snickered and nodded, "Where else?"

"B-But why?" He asked, astounded.

She shrugged and slipped her hands into her pockets, "I've never gone clubbing, not in college when most girls go, I always wanted to know what it would be like."

"Um…okay, I think I know this one place but I haven't been there in years so I don't know what it's like now." He muttered in thought.

She watched him chew on his lip before she sighed, "Do you not want to go?"

"No, it's just that it's a Friday night. There's going to be a lot of people there and it'll get crowded and drunk guys are the wors--"

She reached out and squeezed his shoulder, "I'll be fine. I just really want to do this. I want to start living the life I missed out on."

He raised his eyebrows with a more comfortable smile, "Why the sudden impulse?"

"Because I don't know how long I'll have this freedom for. I'm getting married in three months and a lot will change once I say I do." She said softly.

Wonho's smile fell, "You're still going to marry him?"

Yena looked away as she shifted on her heels, "It's not that easy, Wonho. He's…he's a large part of my life and sometimes you just have to suck it up. You can run but it doesn't always mean you'll move."

"Running is better than staying in the same place and then wondering why you're still stuck in the same place." He fired back.

She gave him an exasperated look that he tried to challenge before he softened and backed down.

The girl spent a large part of her life being told what to do and being bossed around he wasn't about to be the next person to do it. The only freedom she had in her life was when she was with him or at work, so he was going to back down.

Just for her.

But it didn't always mean that it felt good.

If her fiancé really groomed and conditioned her into thinking that she needed him in order to survive and that he's the reason she is where she is today, then talking to her about it once isn't going to fix all her problems.

"Well, either way, you can't go to a club wearing that." he said while pointing at her sweater, "You might die of heat stroke."

Yena blinked rapidly before looking at herself, "B-but I don't have anything else, especially not fit for clubbing and it's not like I can really go and get changed, anyways."

He chewed on his lip as he scanned her outfit before his eyes lit up. "I got it!"

He unzipped his jacket and pulled his sweater off before reaching for the hem of his white t-shirt. He started to lift it before he froze and glanced up at her, "I don't mind if you look, but for your courtesy you might want to turn around."

Her eyes widened before she slapped her hand over her eyes. He chuckled at her reaction and pulled off his shirt. She peeked through her fingers to see if he was done.

No, he was not.

Her face flushed red when her eyes caught sight of smooth, pale skin and hardened, cut muscle and decided to turn her back to him for good measure on top of covering her eyes. Her heart was pounding and she bit down on her lip as her blush grew stronger.

Wonho bit on the sleeve of the shirt so he could put his sweater and jacket back on. "Okay turn around."

She paused before she turned around to see him hold out his shirt to her. "This should work."

"Oh." She said while she touched the soft fabric. "Um…okay. Can you…uh…tur--"

"Right, sorry." He said, flustered as he turned around.

Yena stared at his back and glanced left and right to make sure no one else was around before quickly stripping down to her bra and slipping the shirt over her head. It was long and brushed by her thigh, so she tucked the shirt into the front of her leggings before smoothing it down.

It smelled just like him, manly, natural with the scent of cotton and pine.

"I'm done."

Wonho turned to her and bit down on his tongue not to let out the groan that was growing in the back of his throat.

The shirt was so big and she was so small.

There was something entirely too endearing about a woman in his clothes, more specifically the woman standing in front of him and the way it looked on her made it look like it was made for her. She pulled her hair tie out of her ponytail and let her hair fall over her shoulders in a messy golden waterfall.

 _Fuck_.

Wonho cleared his throat and nodded at her before walking over to her. He fiddled with her hair so that it was neat but messy."You look good."

"I'm in a plain t-shirt and running leggings." She snorted while running her fingers through her locks.

He smirked and leaned closer to her, "Works for me."

Yena's smile faded as memories of her latest dream of him washed over her, making her skin red again at the thought of him pressing her up against the wall and kissin-- "Um…yeah, let's go."

"After you, Red."

\-----

Wonho was right when he told her that it would be crammed , there were bodies taking over every square inch of the building. There were some people sitting at the bar and some seated along the dance floor at the tables.

The majority of the mass were located in the center of the club on the dance floor, bodies moving and swaying to the beat of the music blaring from the speakers.

Seeing so many people, all different, with different stories, different problems they wanted to dance away, different types of romances and hatreds, different celebrations, different grievances, but they were all here, together, dancing to the same songs.

She loved it.

Yena bounced on her heels before diving straight into the crowd without hesitating. Wonho's eyes widened before he went in after her. She faced forward but reached her arm out behind her and he quickly held her hand and let her pull him into the middle of the floor. He found himself getting defensive whenever anyone jostled or bumped into on accident, but she seemed so at ease.

She turned and beamed at him and swung her hair around before moving her body in rhythm to the music, rolling her hips and throwing her hands up in the air with a blissful scream.

Wonho was having a hard time breathing.

Not because of the amount of people. Not because of how hot the room was. Not because the music was too loud.

But because of Ahn _fucking_ Yena.

She was sinful.

And that look in her eye didn't change a thing.

She looked like she could rule the world.

He wondered how hopeless he'd be if she had that look in her eye _all the time_.

He started moving with her, both of them dancing to the music, the tension dissipated the both of them danced with smiles on their faces, switching from throwing their hands in the air and bouncing to the music to doing their own little dance moves to just screaming lyrics of the song out into the club air.

It was exhilarating.

The both of them were wasted and didn't need a single drop of alcohol to get there.

She could feel her heart rock in time with the music and felt adrenaline vibrate through her system when she saw the way Wonho's body moved like it had every beat injected into his bloodstream all with the ease that made him look like he wasn't even trying.

As more people joined the dance floor, Yena found herself being pushed closer and closer to Wonho until they were face to face. Yena spun until her back was pressed against his chest, their bodies so sweaty that they stuck together as she tilted her head back against his neck as they moved together. Wonho stiffened for a second when he felt her against him before his hands came around her waist, holding her carefully like she was made of something so rare and precious that he couldn't let go.

The club was overheating from the amount of bodies crammed together in such a small space and everyone was drenched in sweat but Wonho had shivers running in his heart when she trailed her fingers down his arms. She pulled them off her waist before lacing their fingers together before stretching them out in front of her.

Wonho's cheek was pressed against the side of her head as he blinked at their intertwined fingers. Normally he'd admire the perfect sight, but when he saw the glittering diamond on her finger, he felt something he had never felt before when he saw it.

He felt jealous. 

She turned around while holding his hands and beamed when he pulled her towards him before letting go of one of her hands to wrap around her waist. She threw her head back and laughed when he sway them back and forth in a waltz to blasting dubstep.

Wonho grinned and knocked their foreheads together before pressing his nose to the side of her head, smiling while she continued to laugh against his neck. She tilted her head up until her lips barely brush his pulse, his eyes fluttered close at the soft sensation and his stomach twisted in knots.

She's engaged.

She's vulnerable.

She's confused.

She just wants to be happy.

She needs a friend.

He had to repeat this chant over and over in his head.

She needs a friend.

And he had no right to step into her life and demand her to change it.

His time with her was limited.

So he was going to make her happy with the time he had.

\-----

"That was so much fun!" Yena exclaimed, out of breath, as they exited the club after two hours of dancing.

Wonho grinned and walked behind her, watching her. Her hair was matted with sweat, her skin was slick and wet, her cheeks and the tips of her ears were bright red and _holy fuck_ she was a breathtaking mess.

She spread her arms out and spun around to face him before tilting her head up to the sky, giddiness bubbling in her every syllabus, "I can still hear the music and all my nerves are jumping. I love it! I feel so alive. I'm so…I'm so happy. Right now. Right this very second. I'm happy."

He stared at her in silence when she's looked up at the sky.

Isn't that how it always is?

The times when someone looks at you like you have the ability to make the sun rise and fall and put the stars in the sky are the times that you never seem to notice.

\-----

Yena pulled her sweater over Wonho's shirt before entering the house, he hadn't asked for it back when he walked her to the intersection and she had made no attempt to give it to him.

Once she was in and Namjoon was nowhere to be found, she pulled off her sweater and took his shirt off before putting her sweater back on. She balled the shirt up and tip toed up the stairs and into their room. The light in the bathroom was turned on, indicating Namjoon was still inside, and she quickly opened her closet before digging out an old fancy shopping bag. She took out Wonho's shirt and lifted it up before holding it to her nose.

She took a breath before smiling.

It still smelled like him, all cotton, pine and something dangerously wonderful that she couldn't put her finger on.

But the shirt smelled different than when she had first put it on.

It still smelled like Wonho, but now it smelled like her too.

\-----

Changkyun's eyes widened as he stared at his phone when it chimed, "What the h-hell?"

"What's wrong?" Kihyun asked absentmindedly as he flicked through a magazine.

Changkyun stared at his phone for a moment before turning it to show Kihyun and Hyungwon, "Is this Wonho?"

Both men squinted their eyes to see a blurry picture of a guy and a girl dancing together in the middle of a crowd.

Kihyun tilted his head, "Yeah…wait, no…wait…I can't tell."

Hyungwon walked up from behind them before he glanced at it and raised his brow. "That's definitely him. Look, that girl he's with is wearing the shirt Minhyuk got Wonho for his birthday."

"She's wearing what?!" A high pitched shriek came from his room before angry footsteps came racing towards them.

"Let me see!" He demanded, snatching the phone from Changkyun.

"That son of a bitch." He hissed while staring at the image. "I paid good money for that designer shirt as a gift for _him."_

Changkyun widened his eyes," So it _is_ him?"

"Obviously." Minhyuk said in annoyance. "That's his jacket and his stupid traitorous face."

Changkyun let out a sound of intrigue, "Huh."

"What is it?" Jooheon asked.

"It's just that LP sent me this picture asking if Wonho was at the same club they were at."

Hyungwon's mouth hung open in shock, "What the fuck? He's at a club? That's what he's been doing all this time instead of smoking? He-He's at a club?"

"No fucking way." Minhyuk breathed out.

"Wait…if that is him…then who's the girl and why is she wearing his shirt?"

\-----

Yena walked along the aisles of the department store, her eyes mindlessly scanning the rows and rows of shoes until her feet came to a stop in front of one of the displays.

She leaned down and stared at the glittering pair of Louboutin stilettos.

"Ohh, those are our most popular item. The sell out like hotcakes whenever we put them out." The store employee said when she saw Yena ogling the heels.

Yena smiled while nodding, "I can see why, they're beautiful."

"Would you like to try them on?" The woman asked while pulling the display case's keys out of her pocket.

Yena turned back to the heels.

They were sparkling like a thousand diamonds glued to the shoe.

They were eye catching, excessive, slightly obnoxious, over the top and definitely not what a mild mannered fiancée of a CEO would wear. He always thought that heels made a woman look like a hooker, even ones that were a couple of inches. She thought they made a woman look sexy.

Namjoon would absolutely hate them.

"I'm a size 7."

\-----

"Did you find anything?"

The man tossed a manila envelope across the desk until it landed in front of Namjoon. "See for yourself. But don't say I didn't warn you when you hired a PI. I'm good at what I do, sometimes too good."

"I hired you once because I heard you were good. I hired you twice because you proved you were good." Namjoon muttered while opening the file.

He dumped the contents out and stared at the images in front of him.

"She was at a club, with some man, I couldn't get a good look at his face, he kept moving and it's not the easiest thing to take pictures with a camera at a club without looking like a perv."

Namjoon's jaw was set as he stared at the pictures of Yena holding the hands of some man whose back was turned away from the camera. She had a huge smile on her face in all of the pictures, showing her dancing close to this man.

Like she knew him.

Like she liked him.

"You don't know who he is?"

The PI shook his head, "Not recognizable."

"Thanks. The money's wired to your account." He muttered before the man tipped his hat and walked out the door.

When the door shut behind him, and Namjoon heard his footsteps recede, he roared and swiped his arm across everything on his desk, sending it all crashing to the ground. He let out another roared before kicking the trash can until it was sent flying across the room.

He knew that her 'late night runs' were a bunch of bull shit. She'd be gone for _hours_ and for a girl with a past like hers, he knew that she would've been way too scared to be alone at night. He made sure that she would be scared to go out, installing the fear in her that if she wasn't careful, she'd have a repeat of her junior year of college.

So it struck him as strange that she'd spend more and more time out at night running and yet come home without as much as a sweat. She'd just walk in with a dumb smile. And now he knew why.

She was whoring herself out.

She wouldn't fucking listen.

She never fucking listened.

After all he did for her.

After all he gave her.

She thought that she had the privilege to do whatever the hell she wanted.

She had no right to _lie_ to him.

She had no right to be with another man when she was living under the roof _he_ bought and was living the lifestyle that _his_ career and _his_ money made.

She already had him, one of the most prestigious men in Korea and she had the nerve to slut it up with another nobody?

He _owned_ her.

He _owned_ everything that made her, _her_.

He wiped his nose before he paced frantically around his office.

She thought she could ruin him.

She thought she could take him and his entire reputation, everything he worked for, down.

He wouldn't let that happen.

He wouldn't let her ruin him.

Did she think that she was that important? That she had power over him?

No, she was nothing but a meddling _bitch_ that was out to destroy him.

And if she thought that she could take him down, she had another thing coming.

He built her up and he could tear her down too.

He picked his computer and keyboard from the ground and plugged it in before turning it on and signing into the guest account instead of his personal one. He created a new email account and opened a new message before typing in the subject.

**Subject: Future Mrs.Kim, Ahn Yena: The Party Girl**


	21. Chapter 21

"I think I might need a lawyer, where's Shownu?" Wonho mumbled while looking away.

Minhyuk glared at him, "Shownu didn't come home last night, now stop changing the subject. You went clubbing last night? With a girl?"

This was not what he expected when he came out of his room that morning and saw the entire group sans Shownu, staring him down at the dining table.

Then Changkyun showed him the picture LP sent him and it all clicked.

His pretty little secret was outed.

"Guys--"

Kihyun threw his hands up in the air, "And you didn't even invite us?"

"Who's the girl?" Jooheon grilled him.

Hyungwon tilted his head, "Is she the reason that you've stopped smoking?"

"I haven't stop smok--Oh." Wonho's eyes widened when he realized that he hadn't picked up a pack or a lighter in…he couldn't remember the last time.

"Have you been meeting her all this time?" Changkyun asked with suspicious eyes, "Is that why you don't come home until late?"

Wonho rubbed his face, "Guys--"

"I can't believe you have a girlfriend and you haven't told any of us. First Shownu and now you. Why are you guys so worried about bringing a girl around here?" Minhyuk hissed under his breath.

Jooheon clucked his tongue, "Are you worried your girlfriend might fall for one of us, that's an understandable concern."

"I don't have a girlfriend, guys. I just…I just met a girl. A nice girl, a really…really amazing girl. I like her a lot but she's not really in the best place in her life right now." He finally admitted.

The boys gaped at his confession in awe, "So…you're dating her?"

"No." He breathed out while shaking his head, "We're friends, good friends. I like spending time with her. She makes me…happy. She's nice to be around. She's friendly and we get along well."

Changkyun still looked confused, "When would you have even met her?"

"It's a long story." Wonho said while closing his eyes, trying to get some peace.

"When can we meet her? Can we at least know her name?"

Wonho's neck flushed as he shifted uncomfortably on his chair. He loved the guys, but there was something about Yena that he just wanted to keep to himself for a while. Now he could tell why Shownu tried to keep Hyerin under wraps for so long.

It was just simpler like that. It meant less questions you'd have to come up with answers for.

Hyungwon saw the way Wonho's eye darted around awkwardly before cutting in and coming to his rescue, "Lay off guys. Wonho doesn't have to share anything until Shown introduces us to Cho Hyerin, the girl he's apparently making out with, in our damn garage. One battle at a time."

"Thanks." Wonho mouthed when he caught his friend's eyes.

Hyungwon rolled his eyes jokingly before shaking his head and picking up the rolled up magazine from the pile of mail sitting on the counter.

He turned away from the interrogation and pulled the rubber band off before unrolling the magazine and scanning the front page. He stopped mid-step when he saw a picture that was far too familiar to him, staring back at him.

It was the same picture that LP had sent Changkyun but taken from the other angle where Wonho was turned away from the camera but the girl he was with, her face was clear as day, as if the photographer focused just on her.

**The Future Wife of CEO Kim, Ahn Yena, seen dancing at a club late last night,**

**Has the clock struck 12 for Cinderella?**

**Looks like the princess is about to get kicked from the castle.**

"Ahn Yena?" He whispered under his breath while staring at the article. Why did that name sound so familiar?

Oh.

Hyungwon's eyes widened when he remembered LP telling him about a customer Wonho had, a customer that he gave free upgrades to.

Ahn Yena.

Hyungwon glanced over his shoulder and caught a glimpse of Wonho grinning while talking to another one of the guys. He looked back at the article and frowned. She was engaged? And he knew? Was this what he meant by her not being in the best place in her life?

He was spending time, at night, alone, with an engaged woman?

That wasn't like him at all.

Chewing on his lip, he stared at the picture of the girl, smiling like she was the happiest person in the room while staring at Wonho. Acting on impulse, he ripped the front page off the magazine and flipped to the middle page where a small excerpt about her was written before ripping it out as well.

He crumpled it up and shoved it in his pocket before looking over his shoulder one more time at Wonho and walking into his room.

This wasn't a problem for now.

\-----

"Hey."

Shownu glanced up at Wonho who walked in with two cups of coffee,

"Bless you." Shownu groaned as he set one down on the desk.

Wonho grinned and fell back on the couch, "I'm starting to like this place more and more."

"It's suffocating." Shownu bemused, "But it's work, something that you seem to be skipping."

Wonho grinned and stretched his arms up, "My work hours only exist when I have appointments."

Shownu nodded before a serious look washed over his face as he looked at Wonho, "Hey, there's something I've been meaning to ask you for a while."

Wonho's smile turned into a look of curiosity, "Sure, what's up?"

"Why did you bring up Gunhee, out of nowhere?" He mumbled while staring at the depositions in front of him.

Wonho took in a sharp breath before lacing his fingers together, "I don't know. It just sort of came up."

"Organically?" He snorted, "I doubt you're talking about him over tea and biscuits."

Wonho nibbled on the inside of his cheek before staring at his tattoo, "A friend made some comments about my past and I took a leap of faith and told them about it. All of it."

" _All_ of it?" Shownu asked in shocked.

Wonho sighed, "Fine, not _all_ of it, but most of it. About Gunhee, about me, about everything else."

"How did that feel?" Shownu asked with raised brows.

Wonho squeezed his fingers until the tips turned blue, "Strange, but good. Reliving it, it's not fun, but it's an easier story to tell now."

"So this friend of yours…"

Wonho smirked while sitting up, "It's my turn to ask questions."

"Fine, yes, I stayed over at her place again, last night." Shownu griped.

Wonho chuckled, "Wasn't what I was going to ask, but thanks for the admission."

"So what do you want?" Shownu said with a glare.

Wonho's smile faded before he ran his teeth along his lip, "Did you have a case a few years ago about a girl who was kidnapped for 3 years but refused to take the stand against her captor and instead tried to testify for his defense?"

"Oh god, yeah. That case was hell. I don't think I slept for 3 days." He said with a shiver.

Wonho nodded in thought, "You argued that she was suffering from Stockholm Syndrome."

"Yeah, we argued that she was so afraid of her captor who tortured her for years that she had formed a bond, thinking that complacency would make him stop from hurting her. She used the idea of _if I'm nice to him, he'll be nice to me and not hurt me._ But she forced herself into that mindset for so long that she made herself believe that she actually cared about her captor. We got her testimony thrown out of court and used her diagnosis as proof." Shownu recited as memories of the case flashed before his eyes.

Wonho stared at the plaques and awards lining Shownu's shelf, "Is Stockholm Syndrome only applicable to kidnapping cases?"

"Well not exactly. The primary definition is commonly used for victims of kidnappings, but it's a syndrome, if you show the symptoms, then it's possible for defining the relationship you're having with someone. But it's not orthodox for someone who wasn't held captive." He explained while watching Wonho's blank face. "What context are you considering?"

Wonho sat in silence before looking Shownu in the eyes, "If someone got raped and someone else came and 'saved' them, would they feel something like that?"

"No, it makes more sense if the person had felt that way about her attacker. So, you're saying that this person is unhealthily attached to the person who rescued them because of gratitude?"

Wonho made a face, "Kind of. It's not so much of gratitude as it is dependence. The person who saved them is victim blaming, making her feel like it was her fault and grooming her into thinking that she'd be nothing without him. He had even pulled her out of getting therapy and basically cut her off from the other humanly interactions."

_Her._

Shownu's brow twitched but he didn't speak on it, "So you think he's manipulating her vulnerable state and using it to make her submissive and reliant on him?"

"Something like that."

"That's not Stockholm Syndrome, that's emotional abuse, but a lot of emotional abuse victims suffer from similar symptoms. It's possible that like in SS, she justifies all of his actions and the way he treats her because in a way she believes that he's only looking out for her. He 'saved' her once so she thinks that everything he does after that is to 'save' her, even if it's not. Her mind is tricking her into thinking he has her best in mind because he saved her once. She's probably aware of this, but her mind she forces her to believe he is good intentioned." Shownu said while pulling some files out. "Here are a list of symptoms, I had a therapist give me a copy when I was working on a case."

Wonho stood up and took the file before scanning a list of short term and long term symptoms.

  * Anxiety or fear; hyper-vigilance
  * Shame or guilt
  * Becoming overly passive or compliant
  * Feeling powerless and defeated as nothing you do ever seems to be right (learned helplessness)
  * Feeling like you're "walking on eggshells"
  * Feeling manipulated, used and controlled
  * Feeling undesirable
  * Extreme dependence on the abuser
  * Low self-esteem and self-worth
  * Sleep disturbances



This was Yena.

This was all of her thrown together in a bullet list form.

"Emotionally abusive." He worded out carefully, his eyes barely focusing.

Shownu loosened his tie, "Wonho, what is this about?"

Wonho stared at the words on the list before sighing, "Nothing. Don't worry about it."

\-----

"Hey there, little lady."

Jiaen looked up from her magazine and widened her eyes, "Your hair!"

Yena snickered while walking into Jiaen's private room with a canvas bag, "Like it?"

"It's pretty." She said while sitting up.

Yena had used her lunch break to visit the girl to drop off some of her homework and see how she was doing.

"Why did you chose to change it?" She asked curiously.

Yena pursed her lips and walked over to Jiaen's bed before sitting on the foot of it, "I think I just needed a change. Feel like a new person, I guess."

"But you've been changing plenty recently, right? That's good, right? Having fun, cutting loose, throwing away the image that everyone forces on you. I need to do that." Jiaen teased while wiggling her brows.

Yena tilted her head in confusion as she stared at her, "What do you mean?"

Jiaen's teasing smile fell at she stared at Yena, when she realized that the woman was clueless, she gulped and tucked her magazine under her leg, hiding the cover.

"N-Nevermind. Just rambling."

Yena gave her look before busying herself with unpacking her bag, setting out food, books and her homework.

"So have you set a wedding date?" Jiaen asked.

Yena nodded as a knot formed in her stomach, but not the fun knots, "3 months."

"Oh wow, that's soon. Are you excited? Have you picked out your dress? Well, with three months left you have had t--"

Yena cleared her throat with a smile, quieting Jiaen, "So how have you been feeling?"

"A lot better."Jiaen said with a gentle smile, "My mom…we had a moment, my therapist called it a breakthrough. Things have gotten a lot better and--Oh look!"

Yena watched her pull her phone out and showed her a picture of her and her father, dressed to the nines on a red carpet. Jiaen's face was full and bright and she looked happy and healthy. Yena's eyes drifted to the girl's father and felt herself warming, her father was absolutely beaming.

"He took me. Not his newly debut actress or the idol that got nominated for an award. He took me." She gushed.

Yena shot her a look, "Of course, he'd want to take the prettiest date ever."

"Thanks, Ms. Ahn." Jiaen said quietly.

Yena grinned, "Well, you are the pret--"

"No, thank you for everything. All of it." She said sweetly.

\-----

Yena walked out from the school with her brows knit together.

It was a strange day.

Airin had taken the day off to deal with some family stuff involving her father, so Yena spent the day on her own and she couldn't shake the strange feeling of everyone staring at her, off.

Maybe she was paranoid, maybe she was overly anxious but it felt like everyone was whispering about her when she walked by. Sure, it was actually a pretty common occurrence ever since she and Namjoon announced their engagement.

This just felt different.

But no one had come up to her and she hadn't heard anyone say anything directed at her, so she just had to chalk it up to her own paranoia and carry on the rest of the day until she could head home.

She was walking towards her car until she spotted someone who had never once visited the school before.

"Namjoon?" She gaped when she saw him standing in front of his car in a crisp white shirt.

His face was in a permanent scowl as he opened the door to his car, "Get. In."

"What are you doing here? My car's here an--"

"I said get in." He hissed while glaring at her,

Yena froze while gulping, looking away, unable to keep eye contact, "W-What's wrong?"

"I'm not asking." He growled as his knuckles turned white with the way he gripped the door, "Get in the car, _now."_

Yena froze before she got into the car and waited for him to slide in after her before slamming the door shut. The partition between the two of them and his driver was, giving them privacy.

Namjoon threw something down on Yena's lap, catching her attention before picking up the magazine and reading the cover. Her eyes widened when she saw the picture of her from the night before, dancing at the club.

_No._

_No._

_No._

"Namjoon, I--"

"Is this what you've been doing every night when you said you were on a run? You were partying behind my back?" He breathed out, his voice quiet but filled with suppressed rage.

Her hands were shaking as tears filled her eyes, "It was only once."

He laughed sarcastically, the sound filling her with fear, "That's all you have to say for yourself? After humiliating me in front of everyone by going around and acting like a 21 year old bimbo? That you just did it once? Do I look like a joke to you?"

"I'm sorry." She choked out, "I just--I just wanted to know what it would be like."

He smirked, "You want to know what it would be like to have dozens of guys feeling you up? Groping you? That's what you wanted? Pathetic. You're a tramp and maybe this is why you got raped in the first place. Maybe if you acted differently none of this would've happened."

"N-No, I just wanted to have fun. For a few hours, I didn't think anyone would know." She whimpered.

He scoffed, "So it's okay for you to go against my words and act like this as long as no one knows? I know I've taught you how to act and this mess means you don't give a damn about me." He grabbed her arm and yanked her to him so that he could dig his nails into her arm, "Fun? Are you saying that after everything I've given you, you want more? You want fun? You don't have the _right_ to do whatever you want for fun, you knew that went we got engaged, but you seem to think you're above everyone. That you're better than us so you don't have to follow the rules."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen. I shouldn't have gone." She croaked out when he shoved her back with force, her head smacking against the window, making her groan at the blunt pain.

"Have you been lying every night? Looking me in the eyes every night, saying that you were running while laughing behind my back because you knew you were tricking me? Did you like that? Humiliating me and treating me like a fool?"

She shook her head furiously, "I didn't want to hurt you."

"Who was the man you were with?" He muttered while rolling his sleeves up.

Yena's mind flashed to Wonho, smiling, laughing, holding her hand and pulling her close to him as they moved, his heat and scent flooding her memories.

She would never send Namjoon at him.

"He's a stranger. I just met him at the club and danced with him." Her voice cracked as tears built up again.

He slammed his fist against the window in a burst of rage, making her jump, "You were fucking raped and now you're dancing with strange men at a club? Are you asking for it to happen again? Did you like it when it happened the first time that you wanted to make it happen again?."

"No!" She screamed as her face turned red and blotchy with tears down her face while her other hand reached up and yanked at her hair, "No! Of course not!"

"Don't you dare cry. You have no fucking right to cry after what you did to me. Have you read what people are saying about you and me, now?" He said while knocking her with his fist on the back of her head.

Yena let out another sob as she held the back of her head. Namjoon pulled his phone out and tossed it on her lap before resting his elbow on the window and staring out of it. Her trembling fingers turned on his phone and stared at an article with her picture at the club.

_[+5,532, -456] I feel so bad for Namjoon, he's so handsome and kind. He only thinks about others. She doesn't deserve him, he can do so much better._

_[+4,321, -321] I knew it, she was only with him for the money. She probably just uses his money to fund her party life._

_[+3,987, -564] Party girl and troublemaker boy. They're a match made in heaven._

_[+2,432, -23] The Son heir just revealed his relationship and everyone supported them because they have a good reputation and personality. Why can't this couple be more like them?_

_[+2,011. -212] She doesn't care about her image at all. She's going to be a wife of a CEO and she's acting like that? No shame._

_[+1,423, -135] I hope he leaves her now._

_[+902, -523] The Kim stocks are probably going to start dropping. No one will invest if the future-CEO's wife is acting like that. They'll think the Kims are liable to scandals and a bad image._

_[+654, -56] Just leave her._

_[+542,-145] I hate women like this the most. They have the perfect life, money, clothes, looks, a rich, handsome husband and instead of appreciating that, they throw it all away._

Yena turned off the phone, unable to read anymore.

They hate her, they absolutely hate her.

Before, they just hated her but now, they hated him too. She couldn't believe how many people upvoted the comments. They all hated her. They didn't think she deserved him and she could see why.

Why did she think that she could do anything right? That she could change? Why did she ever think that Namjoon was trying to hurt her on purpose? She was the one that was hurting him and ruining his life. This is what he wanted to prevent from happening, this was why he was always 'controlling'. He wanted to avoid stuff like this from happening.

He told her to listen.

Why didn't she listen?

Why was she such a failure?

Why was she never good enough?

"This is your fault. You have no one to blame but yourself over what they're saying about you. If it hurts your feelings so much, then you shouldn't have gone in the first place. You knew the consequences. You knew what I told you and you still did whatever the hell you wanted. So you need to suck it up and acknowledge that people will hate you for what you did to yourself and to me. You deserve it." He growled while picking up his phone.

Yena felt sick. 

Her head was spinning and she just wanted it to stop, she just wanted to get out of the car and run.

"The school wanted to fire you. They said that it ruined the level of integrity and expectation that they held for their teachers. They said it set a bad precedent for teachers at the school and a bad role model for the students." He said quietly when she set the phone down.

Yena's teary eyes widened as her heart sunk, "Oh my god."

She couldn't lose her job.

She loved her job. She needed it. 

"I offered to give the school a hefty donation if they looked the other way. If it wasn't for me, you'd be disgraced and kicked out the school. Everyone would've known you got fired and you wouldn't be able to show your face." He said while adjusting his tie.

Yena hung her head while covering her face with her hands, cowering away against the door, away from him.

"You should be so grateful. You screwed me over, I'm the one that has to save face in front of all of my colleagues but I'm the one that saved your ass."

"Thank you." She repeated while lifting her head and looking at him.

He shook his head, "You're going to have to do better than that. Not after you disobeyed me, lied to me and nearly ruined my entire career and future."

He placed his hand around her neck and slammed her against the window, tight enough to hold her in place but loose enough that he wasn't choking her.

"Are you ashamed?" He barked, his eyes hardened over into black chips of coal.

She nodded while tears dripped off her face and onto his hand, "I am."

"Do you feel guilty for what you've done to me?"

"Yes." She scratched out.

He let go of her throat and fixed his blazer before returning back to his seat. She was hunched over, her hands in a fist as she sobbed, but Namjoon didn't even flinch or give her a second look as she wiped her face between her tears.

"If you ever do something like this again, I swear to god, you will not fathom what will happen to you." He said while unfolding his cuffs, an unnoticeable smile on his lips.

She hung her head and tangled her fingers together, "I understand."

"And if you think you're allowed to go on a 'run' tonight or any other night, then you're greatly mistaken. You're not leaving my sight."

\-----

Wonho checked his watched for the fifth time.

It was already 11PM and Yena was nowhere to be found. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and stared at the texts her had sent her, asking where she was and if she was going to come out that .

But he didn't get a single reply.

His reached into his pocket and pulled out the single cigarette that was stashed in there. He stared at it before lifting it up to his lips before pulling out his lighter. He flicked it on and held it up to the end of the cigarette and stared at the flame.

He felt like he could see his reflection in the golden yellow light.

He felt like it was mocking him.

He killed the flame before it could touch the tobacco and tossed it aside before rubbing his face. Why was there a crushing weight in his chest? He tossed his cigarette aside before looking back at his phone to see no new messages.

Maybe she was with her fiancé.

Maybe they were having a candle lit dinner at an expensive restaurant.

Maybe they were picking out cutlery for their wedding or putting together their registry. 

Maybe they were tangled up in bed in bliss.

_Emotional abuse._

Sending her home seemed like a worse and worse thing every day that passed.

He stared at the tattoo on his arm, every time he saw it, he'd fall in love with it a little more. He trailed his fingers against the carvings, flexing his arm to watch the image stretch and shift.

Wonho hung around for longer, 12AM, 1AM, 2AM passed when he knew that he was just becoming pathetic and desperate. After waiting around aimlessly, holding onto a deluded hope that she'd show up, a hope that he knew he didn't really believe in, Wonho turned away and walked back home. He pulled his hood over his hair and slipped his hands into his pockets before hunching his shoulders up.

Suddenly the wind and the night air that he adored so much was too cold and too frigid and made him desperate for warmth. A warmth that he didn't realize he was missing until that moment.

When the hell did it get so cold?

He had never wanted to smoke more than at that very moment.


	22. Chapter 22

"Mornin' handsome."

Shownu glanced up from Hyerin's dining table where he was reading the paper to find his girlfriend leaning against the doorframe of her kitchen.

He smiled and set the paper down before stretching his arms out. Hyerin scrunched her nose up and grinned before she walked towards him, letting him pull her into his lap and lean his chin on her shoulder.

"Sleep well?"

Hyerin leaned back against his chest and pursed her lips, "I didn't even budge when you woke up, got out of bed, showered, made breakfast and read the paper. _You_ tell _me_ if I slept well."

He laughed as she picked up his mug of coffee and took a sip, "You know, the gala is coming up this week."

"Yeah and I'm going." Hyerin said casually while setting the mug down.

Shownu started choking on his spit at her abrupt comment, "You're going? You never go to public events. Ever."

"Yeah, but I don't want to miss the look on Namjoon's face when he sees me, just to rub it in because he sure as hell deserves it, scumbag." She said before standing up and making her way to the sink to wash the mug.

He scoffed, still stunned, "This is a monumental event. The great Cho Hyerin, elusive, mysterious and beautiful, in public wearing a stunning dress, knocking them dead. Now I have to go, just to see this."

"Wait…you're going to go too?" She asked with an excited grin.

He shrugged, trying to act casual, "My dad has been badgering me to go in his place for years, looks like I finally have a reason to."

"Yeah, well, I'm going with my dad, so tough luck, baby." She snorted while washing her hands.

Shownu sighed dramatically while standing up and walking up behind her, "Well then I guess I'm going stag."

"Aww poor you. I'm sure there are girls lining up outside your door to be your date." She joked when he brushed her hair aside.

He kissed the side of her neck before wrapping his arms around her waist, "Yeah well there's one girl in particular that better save me a dance."

She groaned and pushed him away, "You're so cheesy and gross."

He snickered and watched her walk back to the dining room table before pausing and picking up the paper he was reading. His smile faded as he walked over to her, crossing his arms over his chest. "You saw the papers?"

"About Yena, right? Her name and picture is plastered around for Christ's sake. A grown ass woman goes clubbing, not even wasted, and they act like she murdered someone." She muttered in disgust, "I hate this industry."

Shownu looked at the ceiling in throught, "I never saw her as someone much into the club scene, but then again, Namjoon must've really moulded her into his perfect doll. I'm surprised she hasn't tried to do something like this earlier, I would've, just to piss him off."

Hyerin didn't look convinced, "I actually don't think she is much of a clubber, I mean, she looks happy in the pictures but she didn't strike me as someone with much of a social life much less a party social life, thanks to Namjoon I bet. But hey, at least she looks like she's enjoying herself. I looked up pictures of her and Namjoon at press events and her smile looks so fake that it almost looks photoshopped on."

"Who's the guy she's with?" Shownu asked while pointing to the pictures, "I've been staring at it for hours, she's even holding his hands in one of the pictures."

"Should I be jealous?" Hyerin teased while squinting her eyes at the picture.

Shownu snorted and tugged gently on her hair, getting her attention, Hyerin shook her head and looked up at him, "I have no idea who this guy is, I can't see his face."

"I'm surprised Namjoon hasn't already pulled all the newspapers out of circulation and sent out a cease and desist on all posts and articles about her." Shownu said before grabbing his phone to check his messages.

Hyerin paused before tilting her head in thought, "Actually, you're right…this would damage his 'squeaky clean' image, wouldn't it? Why hasn't he done anything? It's been 2 days."

"It's almost like he wants it to get circulated." Shownu snorted while scrolling through and replying to emails.

Hyerin slid up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, "You like her, right?"

"Where is this going?" Shownu asked with narrowed eyes as he stroked the back of her head.

She grinned cheekily while peering up to him, "Do you mind sending one of your uberly talented paralegals to do some fact checking for me?"

\-----

She wasn't allowed to go to work today.

Namjoon had called the school, telling them that she wasn't feeling well before he had kissed her on the head, wished her a good day, before leaving her in bed with a distant look in her eye.

Why was he always affectionate right after he terrified her?

It was a toxic endless cycle.

She was laying in bed, scrolling through the comments on the articles, most of the heat had cooled down and the comments were coming in less and less but that didn't mean they were getting nicer. People still thought horrible things about her and if people thought she wasn't worthy of Namjoon before, it was only worse now.

And when she finally caught up with all the comments, the self-loathing finally set in, she'd switch to her text messages and read the row of unanswered texts that Wonho had sent her the night before up until 2AM.

He waited for her until 2AM.

She couldn't believe it.

And as much as she wanted to text him back, she couldn't find it in herself to do it.

She felt like she was letting him down.

And now she was going to disappoint him again tonight when she didn't show up.

Every time the event from the car flashed in her mind, she would just close her eyes and pray that they would go away, locking them up deep inside her psyche. She just couldn't believe it actually happened, that he actually said those words to her or that he actually slammed her head against the window.

It felt surreal, like from her nightmares.

She knew, the day in the kitchen with the glass, wasn't right, but there was a part of her that believed that it was a one time thing. That he was just stressed and frustrated, but it happened twice in such a short period of time.

It was a pattern, a pattern that felt like it was escalating.

A pattern that she was scared of, a pattern that she feared was getting worse.

And if she pushed him any further, she didn't want to know what he'd do if she pissed him off enough.

She started scrolling up through their messages, her eyes running over his texts, how Wonho always be the first one to spark up the conversations and how he'll always be the last one to end them too.

She had been far too cruel to Wonho.

She opened her conversations with Namjoon and saw the reverse, she'd always be the one who started conversations with long texts but he'll always reply with short texts. He would always make sure she was the last one to text. It was as if she was having a conversation with herself.

But she noticed that the more she had grown close to Wonho, the less she effort she put in her conversations with Namjoon.

Wonho shouldn't have to be the one to the end the conversation with no reply this time.

This time it should be her.

He deserved that much.

\-----

She shouldn't have done this.

It was stupid, it was risky and she _knew_ better.

She knew that if someone takes another picture of her sneaking out, it would only make things worse and it would only make Namjoon .

But at 1AM when she got a text from Wonho, asking if she was coming out, she couldn't just ignore him for the second time.

Not that many men would wait 4 hours for someone.

And she just wanted to see him _once_ more before Namjoon locked her up for good.

So that's how she ended up scaling the side of her house after climbing out of the window and dropping one story. The heels of her palms and caps of her knees scraped against the cement as she fell, the sting still burning strong.

She wiped her face before she took off running with her hood over her hair. She would duck her head and hide her body behind cars whenever she saw someone walking towards her.

She could get in trouble.

She could get _him_ in trouble.

She could get hurt beyond her wildest imagination and have everything important to her be ripped away by an act of anger or transgression.

But for the love of god, she didn't give a fuck, anymore.

\-----

Wonho checked the time on his phone before sighing and standing up.

He wondered why she wouldn't even respond to his texts anymore, at least telling him that she wasn't going to show up. It wasn't like they had a falling out or any other reason for her to freeze him out. And after knowing what he knew, it worried him when she couldn't see or hear from her for an extended period of time.

But did he even have the right to be worried?

Turning on his heel, he started walking towards his bike, when he heard a frantic yell.

"Wonho!"

He paused and blinked for a second before turning around to see Yena running towards him in what he assumed were her pyjamas, her hair flying around in a mess. His lips quirked up and he started to walk towards her, like a shot of adrenaline was flushed through his veins.

"Hey, Re--opf!" He huffed when Yena slammed into his chest as she rammed into him, nearly knocking him over but he managed to balance himself when she wrapped her arms around him, holding him in a tight hug.

Wonho's eyes were wide and he could only blink in shock when she rubbed her face against his sweater while clawing at the back of his jacket, "H-Hey." He breathed out, bewildered before hugging her back.

What the hell was happening, right now?

"Hey." He whispered against her head when she wouldn't let go, "Hey, pretty lady, you okay?"

Wonho didn't get it, he didn't get why a girl who was so closed off and distant was now holding onto him like her body was made to be against his. Like she belonged in his arms and it was going to get to be too much for him if she kept acting like he was that important to her.

Yena closed her eyes and squeezed him tighter, "I just…I just missed you."

Wonho didn't consider himself a simple man but hearing Yena say those 4 words rendered him speechless. The girl who could barely say that, at one point in their friendship, they were friends, was now making his heart hurt.

He wanted to laugh.

This small, wonderful, delirium inducing woman said that she missed him.

Him.

Was he that special?

He licked his lips and pulled her closer, taking in the sweet smell of her, while trying to stay light hearted, "You don't see me for a day and you already miss me? Have you fallen for me already?"

Yena laughed weakly against him as he cupped the back of her head, running his fingers through the knotted strands. She closed her eyes, momentarily comforted by the methodical way his fingers moved in her hair. She was just so incredibly happy that he was there, waiting for her, despite how late it was getting. He was always just there right when she needed him. 

Finally, she pulled away to get a good look at him, "I'm sorry…about not showing up yesterday."

Suddenly she realized that the conversation she knew she had to have with him was going to be a lot harder to have. He was in front of her, staring at her and she already didn't want him to leave. Too bad she wasn't really given much of a choice. She knew what she had to do, no matter how much she didn't want to do it. 

"I get it. Things come up." He said while letting go of her. "The world moves on."

She reached up and brushed her hair behind her ear, catching his attention. He frowned and reached for her hand before turning her palm up before trailing the tips of his fingers against it.

He stared at the red scratches, "What happened?"

"Oh, yeah, I fell." She said while pulling her hand back.

Wonho's lips faltered as he let his hands drop, "Okay."

"Do you want to go for a walk?" She asked while hugging herself. "I can't really be out for too long."

He nodded before looking at her outfit, "You look like you jumped out of bed."

"Something like that." She said vaguely as they started to walk through the park.

They talked about random stuff, stupid stuff, petty stuff, stuff they didn't need to talk about but did anyways.

But the whole time, Wonho was building up the courage to talk about the one thing that was weighing down on his mind.

"I talked to one of my friends yesterday, just random stuff to kill time. We ended up talking about some really serious topics." He started carefully.

Yena pursed her lips and turned to him, "Yeah? Like what?"

"Have you ever heard of emotional abuse?" He asked softly.

She knit her brows together, "Sort of, in passing, why?"

"I just thought it was interesting. Someone being controlled, manipulated and owned by another person because they keep making you feel like you deserve it. That someone could cause that much pain over someone without touching them." He said while staring at his feet.

She shrugged, "I guess so."

He recited while avoiding eye contact, "Victims think that they have no choice but to rely on their abuser because they've been hurt and manipulated by them especially if they feel vulnerable. They feel like they need someone to keep their head above water but that person is actually a weight pulling them deeper under, They think it's just normal behaviour for their abuser to treat them like that bu--"

"Why are you bringing this up now?" She breathed out, slightly exasperated.

Wonho felt his breath die in his throat at her harsh tone, "I-I just, thought it was interesting, the different ways that people try to get control. Um, actually…my friend had this list of symptoms."

He reached into his pocket and handed her the sheet that he had taken from Shownu and handed it to her. She gave him a look, as if she didn't understand him, before taking it from him.

She looked at the list, her face tensing as she read each bullet point, "You're saying that people…people who get emotionally abused show these symptoms?"

He looked away and nodded, "Apparently and it could get worse over the long term."

"I see." She said softly as her throat started to constrict.

Did she show these symptoms? Namjoon scared her, he guilt tripped her, he shamed her, he put her down and he liked when she relied on him just to name a few.

But she wasn't emotionally abused.

She would know if she was being emotionally abused and she knew she wasn't.

He quickly took it from her before shoving it into his pocket, "What is with us and always having serious conversations when we get together?"

Yena chuckled weakly even though Wonho could see right through her. "Yeah well, it's better than having superficial conversations about stocks and shares."

"I'm sorry that I brought it up." He said softly.

She shrugged, "It's okay, there's nothing to apologize for."

Wonho stayed silent, not speaking a word as they walked together.

_Just say it._

_Like ripping off a band-aid._

"Um…so it might get harder for the two of us to see each other from now on." She admitted quietly.

Wonho laced his fingers behind his back to hide his jumpy nerves, "Have you finally had enough of the flirting? Decide to kick the handsome mechanic to the curb?"

"No. No of course not." She said with a cracked laugh, "I'm just…busy now. I don't think I'll have the time, you know, with the wedding coming up and all."

"O-Oh." Immediate disappointment filled his core as the kept his vision straight. For some reason when he had assumed she wasn't coming back before, he had accepted it easily, but seeing her in front of him, looking warm and cozy in her pyjamas, made it feel impossible to accept. It didn't help that he could no longer convince her away from her marriage, not when she was still planning on going through with it and not when this would be the last chance he'd get to see her.

"Okay."

Yena let out a breath, "Can you say something more?"

"I'll miss you." He said as they came to a stop.

Yena bit down on her lip, finding this conversation harder to have than she had imagined. It had barely been two months, a friendship that new wasn't supposed to make her feel that conflicted over the departure. It should've been a simple goodbye.

It didn't feel that simple.

It felt wrong, like the alarms were blaring in her head telling her to stop what she was doing, but she knew she couldn't risk hurting Wonho if people found out she was meeting him. He didn't deserve to have his peaceful life ruined by being plastered on the front page of every magazine just because of her. She lucked out on the ones that were printed but if he turned his face even a little, privacy wouldn't exist in his world anymore. Everyone would know his name and his life. And he never asked for that.

He deserved some peace after Gunhee.

And she could only imagine that meeting him would further risk Namjoon's image that she had already tarnished once. 

They turned to each other, standing far too close for people like them, their breaths clashing in a dance to dangerous for people that weak. "I'll miss you so much." He repeated. "I'm going to miss Little Red running around, causing the most exciting type of havoc and letting me tag along to watch the destruction."

She tried to smile but it just looked like a grimace, "I'll probably miss you more."

"So don't go, Red." He whined childishly, shaking his body like a child throwing a tantrum.

She couldn't laugh, she could barely smile, "I don't want to."

"So then don't." The joking tone in his voice was gone and replaced with a thicker one, one coated with a deeper meaning that begged for her attention. She tilted her head up when he stepped closer to her, his fingers grazing hers. He was crowding her space, towering over her like a watchful shadow, making her head spin in a way that felt nothing but good.

Too damn good.

He let out a stuttering breath, daring to tilt his head a little further down so their noses brushed against each other. It would be so easy to kiss her, to just tilt her chin up and bend his neck down to catch her lips in a kiss that made her breathless.

"Stay." He whispered against her mouth, catching her gasp.

_Fuck, just stay._

Yena's eyes darted back and forth between his, taking in the warmth coating his features, the familiarity that made her want to reach out to touch him. Everything about him just warmed her up as her heart pounded relentlessly in her chest as if it was a dare.

She shouldn't be feeling like this about a man like Wonho.

A man that wasn't Namjoon.

But when was the last time she felt like this about Namjoon?

6 years ago? When he _saved_ her?

Namjoon threatened her yesterday, prepared to ruin her life if she didn't 'obey' him and standing in front of a man she met up with by sneaking out, so _close_ to him that she could kiss him, wasn't exactly _obeying_ him. Another day he tried to give her a concussion.

He was a man that she knew she had to fear if she wanted to make it out okay.

But there was something about Wonho, something that lit a fit under her feet, making her feel reckless and carefree, like she could do anything and that she'd be untouchable. That not even the most sociopathic person could hurt her.

"You haven't been smoking." She whispered into his mouth.

He blinked at her heavily before grinning, "Checking my breath?"

"Kind of hard not to." She mumbled back, tilting her head with his as he bumped their noses together playfully while smiling.

Wonho eye's left her eyes for a second before they darted to her mouth and on instinct, he licked his lips.

Her eyes widened, her face starting to grow red at the action. She gulped and stepped back,"I should…I should go. It's late."

Wonho felt the chilled air washed over him, like a cold slap to the face. In a second he was five steps away from her , giving her the space she needed. He knew better than to push the boundary, crowding her and forcing her into his proximity.

He knew better than that. Hell, _he_ was better than that.

But Ahn Yena was making it really hard for him to be Mr. Being Nice.

"I'll walk you." He breathed out as he tried to come down from the high, his entire body shaking and trembling as the words _I'll walk you_ was starting to morph into something else entirely.

Something that terrified him more than he'd like to admit.

 _I want you_.

\-----

The walk was silent but not as awkward as she anticipated, they just strolled, looking around hopelessly while trying to decipher the strange feeling between them and the implications they bring.

They were so distracted, looking up at the sky or off to the side, that they didn't even notice that they reached Yena's intersection.

No, they didn't notice until it was too late.

"Welcome home, _darling_."

Yena froze, her blood running cold when she looked up and saw Namjoon standing at the intersection, glaring at her, his hands balled up into fists as he glowered at her. Her throat became dry when she could see the angry vein throbbing on the side of his head, almost of if he was restraining himself.

"You keep disobeying me and I swear to god, you have fucked up for the last ti--" His voice trailed off as his eyes moved past her shoulder to see who was standing behind her.

Yena gulped and weakly cleared her throat, "N-Namjoon, this is not what it looks like, um, this is W--"

"Shin Wonho. I'll be damned." Namjoon said in awe as his face changed into a look that Yena couldn't recognize as his eyes stayed pinned on Wonho's face. She caught the moment of recognition and surprise but that was the only thing she could pick up, everything else was foreign and alien.

"What a small world." Namjoon murmured to himself while scanning Wonho from head to toe.

Yena's brows knit together and looked over at Wonho whose face had lost all colour and whose hands were trembling as he stared at Namjoon. His eyes were blank as he opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Nothing could come out even if he tried.

It felt like he was put in a chokehold and he was losing.

He was _always_ losing.

Namjoon took a step towards him and Wonho instinctively took a step back, almost too quickly, his feet scraping against the cement. His eyes darted to Yena and her eyes widened when she saw a mix of panic and betrayal flash across his features, almost as if he was silently blaming her for something. He looked blindsided and ambushed, like prey trying to size up its chances of out running the predator. 

He was dazed as he tried to make sense of everything before him, trying to connect the disjointed pieces. Wonho's breath caught in his throat and his started to come out in harsh sporadic bursts as if he was one beat behind every inhale and exhale.

Namjoon's lips quirked up when he noticed Wonho's reaction to him and stopped walking. He slipped his hands into his pockets and tilted his head while looking at him before he held his hand out.

"Long time no see, buddy."


	23. Chapter 23

It was like someone had blasted a horn right against Wonho's ear, bursting his eardrum until all he could hear was a high pitch scream.

_No._

_How?_

Wonho stared at Namjoon's outstretched hand like it was made of poison and just took another step back. Namjoon smirked and rolled his shoulders back, "How are you?"

Yena looked at Namjoon before looking at Wonho who's hands were shaking and whose eyes were glazed over.

"H-How do you know each ot--"

"Go inside, Yena." Namjoon said without taking his eyes off of Wonho. "The two of us need to catch up."

She looked even more confused, "Wait, bu--"

"Get inside, _now._ " His voice tightened as his eyes slid over to her threateningly.

Wonho's eye twitched at his brackish command and for a second, he had broken out of his numbness and anger was replaced when he saw the way Yena flinched in fear. He treated her like a fucking dog. 

Now all the little idiosyncrasies about Yena were making sense. Her submissive nature, her fear of disapproval, reptitively apologetic over other people's faults and constantly worrying about what other people thought of her. She was bred and conditioned, that's why he'd randomly see bursts of another, more genuine, personality in her. She was the future bride of Kim Namjoon. 

He wondered how he hadn't seen this sooner.

Yena gulped and ducked her head before turning around and walking away, not before glancing over her shoulder at Wonho who was staring at her.

Once she was out of sight he turned to Namjoon and hissed through his clenched teeth, "You can't talk to her like that."

"Aww, little guppy grew a backbone. Look at you, cute." Namjoon mocked while stepping up to him.

Wonho still took a step back, making Namjoon's smirk grow, "But it looks like the little guppy is still afraid. You can't outgrow fear, bud."

"Stay the hell away from me." Wonho growled out before turning away from him.

Namjoon chuckled, "You're asking me to stay away from you but you're the one chasing after my fiancée."

Wonho froze before turning to face him, with rage burning in his eyes, "Does she know? Does she know how fucked up you and your entire family is? Does she know how many lives the group of you have ruined? Does she know what a piece of shit you are?"

"The real question you should be asking is _does it even matter?_ She's still marrying me." Namjoon lamented.

Wonho shook his head, "She's going to leave you one day."

"If I didn't know any better I might have thought that you had a crush on future Mrs. Kim." Namjoon said casually.

Wonho tightened his hands into fists, "Go to hell. You know she's too good for you and it'll only be a matter of time before she leaves you."

"I wouldn't worry about her. I _own_ her."

Wonho had never wanted to kill someone more than right that moment.

Before he could snap, his phone started buzzing. He dug his phone out with a sigh and checked the screen.

 _The Devil_.

Wonho's grip tightened before declining the call. Namjoon stared at Wonho's phone before grinning, "The Devil, huh? Sounds like you should get it."

"Fuck off." He muttered.

"Seeing you here again, I'd say it was fate and I'm almost tempted to say I'm sorry about Gunhee, but I think I should be more thankful towards him, don't you agree?" Namjoon said lazily.

Wonho was wrong, he never wanted to kill someone more than right _that_ moment. 

"Don't say his _fucking_ name, you psycho." Wonho said, shoving Namjoon away, resisting the urge to clock him sideways. 

Namjoon stumbled back a few steps but he steadied him before smiling, "You're still so emotional, must be hard to be rational when you're like that."

Wonho's lips curled into a sardonic smile, "I should be the one thanking you."

"Meaning?" Namjoon provoked.

This time, with a new, temporary confidence, he stepped up to Namjoon, "Meaning that you're so fucked up that I know you must've done worse in your life than planting drugs on Gunhee to save your druggie friend's sorry ass. Your ego is too big, so there's probably more you got daddy to cover up, so there's just more ammo to shoot you down with."

"Only if you can find it." He said confidentially, "You can try to act big and scary, Wonho, but you're still that same little high school boy that wanted to kill himself after Gunhee did."

Wonho felt his head spin as blood rushed to head, "You're not like that, are you? You're not afraid of anything."

"Fear is for the weak." Namjoon said, his smirk turning into a scowl. 

Wonho stared into Namjoon's eyes soullessly, his voice chilling, "But the thing is, fear is actually a really good thing. It stops you from underestimating people, from getting too comfortable at the top, it stops you from making reckless mistakes that could cause you to lose it all and most importantly…"

He leaned towards Namjoon and glared into his eyes, "It makes you realize that if you keeping pushing someone, it'll only be a matter of time until they push back. And then it's a long way down from the top."

Namjoon fell silent but his eyes still held a masked amusement. He reached for Wonho but the man shoved him back and turned on his heel before walking away.

\-----

Yena had been pacing back and forth, occasionally peeking out through the window, wondering why it was taking the two of them so long. It all felt surreal, and the world was moving at a 5-second delay.

They knew each other.

In some messed up twist of fate, her fiancé and the man she was lying to her fiancé about seeing knew each other. Knew each other so well that Wonho had that look in his eye when he saw Namjoon.

Like he was afraid of him, like he hated him.

Maybe she saw wrong, maybe it wasn't fear, but there was something off about them and it the longer they were alone together, the more it was eating her up inside.

Her heart jumped when she heard the lock on the front door turn, the door swinging open before Namjoon stepped through. She raced over to him and gulped while watching him take his shoes off. She this was the last straw, that she had crossed the line for the last time and he was going to make her pay.

"I-I'm sorry. I disobeyed you and I know you're mad and I--"

"I'm not mad." He said calmly, cutting off her rant.

Tears were already building up as she peered up at him, stunned, "W-What?"

"I'm not mad, darling. " He said with a smile, "Is he the man from the club?"

She gulped before nodding slowly and he smiled at her again, sending shivers down her spine, "And is he who you've been sneaking out to see at night?"

"I'm not cheating on you, I swear." She said quickly. "We're friends, please don't get ma--"

He nodded, at ease as he silenced her, "Of course you wouldn't, darling. But I think I've jumped the gun on this. You can continue to see him if you'd like."

Every went still, even the ticking of the clock, as she stared at him. This was the man who wouldn't let her wear heels because he thought it would ruin his image and now he was letting her meet with another man?

Her hands shook as something sort of like relief pooled in her chest, "P-Pardon? A-Are you serious?"

He grinned and patted her on the head before walking to his study.

"Of course. Anything for you."

\-----

The boys all froze when Wonho barrelled through the door, sweaty, panting, and a hysterical mess as he tripped over his feet, his eyes darting around.

Kihyun's brows twitched, "Hey man, are you oka--"

"Where's Shownu? Is he home? WHERE IS HE?!" He boomed, scaring everyone in a silence.

"Don't be an asshole. They didn't do anything wrong." Everyone turned to Shownu who was standing by his bedroom door, staring at him, "If you're going to yell, at least do it in my room."

Wonho ruffled his hair in frustration before following his friend into his room, leaving the other boys in a daze.

\------

"Want to tell me what that was about?" Shownu said lazily as he sat down at his desk, "You never yell at them."

"I ran into Namjoon ."

Shownu fell silent but Wonho laughed dryly when he saw the way his friend's jaw tensed and the veins on his arms pop out.

"Why don't you just get angry? Why doesn't anyone in this damn house ever get pissed off? All you guys do is walk around pretending like he didn't ruin our lives…my life!" He yelled.

Shownu stayed silent, watching his normally cheerful friend go on a tirade. Wonho noticed his silence and stared at him before his eyes rounded.

"You saw him already, haven't you?"

Shownu shook his head, "You know our businesses will clash, we'll cross paths. regardless of how hard I try to steer clear."

Wonho was still twitchy as he paced around Shownu's room until Shownu sighed, "Now, do you want to tell me what went down between you two or do you need a time out to relax?"

"Why is she with him?"

Shownu blinked at his friend in confusion, "She who? His fiancée? Yena?"

Wonho stopped pacing and stopped in the middle of his room before looking at him, shaking as his eyes glazed over again, "It can't be her, man, sh-she can't be with a man like him."

"Wonho," Shownu said cautiously while sitting up, "Why are you talking about Yena?"

He shook his head, "Why her? Why does it have to be her? Why would she be with him? Why would someone like her settle for someone like him? He's a dirtbag."

"Have you been seeing Yena?" Shownu's voice was much softer.

He was a lawyer, he had heard his fair share of startling confessions and revelations thrown his way and he learned early on that if he wanted the truth and if he wanted an explanation to help him understand, he had to keep his cool.

The second he seemed shocked, clients would take it as judgment and they'd lock up and refuse to indulge.

Wonho turned away but froze when he saw a newspaper on Shownu's table, "What's that?"

"It's an article, Yena was caught by some paparazzi at a club a few nights ago with a strange guy…which I just now realized is you." He said, his voice trailing off when he put two and two together.

Wonho's read the paper, his gut wrenching at the slander written, "I can't believe this."

"She's a high profile person, Wonho. It's out of character for someone of her status to be at a club with a guy." Shownu explained. 

Wonho clenched his jaw, "What does she even see in him? I know her, she's better than him, she's better than that. He doesn't deserve her and she knows it. She knows she's better than him, that he's treating her like dirt."

"Wonho, you need to stop talking in circles and you need to start answering my questions." Shownu said firmly.

Wonho planted his hands on his waist and tilted his head up, "Yes, I've been seeing her, but not like that. We're friends, good friends. I knew she was engaged the whole time but I didn't know it was to him. We got really close and I knew she had her share of problems but we just got along so well."

"And when you ran into Namjoon today…" Shownu prompted.

Wonho looked at his friend with bloodshot eyes, "I was with her. I'm always with her at night, and I saw him and--and--it just came back, it all came back."

"Wonh--"

"He talked about Gunhee and I thought I was getting better at talking about him and remembering that day, but seeing Namjoon, the guy who killed him, it was like I was back at school. I've been deluding myself, I haven't gotten better, I've just gotten better at forgetting the parts of the story that hurt, the parts that didn't get closure." His throat was a mess as tried not to break down.

Shownu looked at him friend sadly, "Wo--"

"And fuck, the way he talked about her, like she was his property like he owned her." His voice cracked and Shownu stood up on instinct. "She doesn't deserve a man who talks about her like that."

Wonho shook his head and turned around. Shownu closed his eyes, when a realization hit him, and let out a breath, "You like her, don't you?"

Wonho talked about Yena the same way he talked about Hyerin.

"That doesn't matter." Wonho rasped while shooting his friend a glare, "If she was happy with him, if he was actually a good guy, then I wouldn't care. I would tag out but, _fuck_ , he ruined her. He brainwashed her. She's better than him. Hell, she's better than half the guys I know, including me. I don't even deserve her, but Namjoon is a sociopath."

Shownu's face melted into shock, "Wait, that story you told me, about the rape victim and abusive savior…was it Yena and Namjoon? Holy shit, I had no idea."

"I know." Wonho muttered. "Neither did I."

Shownu scoffed, "But it makes sense doesn't it? If your little hypothetical profile is true and her fiancé is abusing her emotionally, doesn't it make sense that it's him? He's the exact type."

"The first time I actually like a girl, she's engaged and if it wasn't bad enough, it's to him. It's to the guy who ruined my life." Wonho said quietly.

"I'm sorry." Shownu said helplessly. "Are you going to still see her?"

Wonho shook his head, "She made it clear that we're not seeing each other after tonight and after seeing Namjoon, he won't let her within 10 feet of me."

"What was it like? Seeing him again?" Shownu asked.

Wonho looked around Shownu's clean room, trying to find the right words, "You know that moment when you think you've lost your phone or your wallet or something really important and you start to panic? Your heart pounds, you can hear your blood rushing in your ears and you're shaking as you try to go through all your stuff to find it? And you know that sudden feeling of relief when you realize that it was in your pocket the whole time?"

"Yeah."

"It was like that but if you never ended up finding it." He muttered. "I forgot everything around me and for a second I thought that maybe she was in on it, like she knew what he had done and was stringing me along, to torture me."

Shownu shook his head, "I know her, she's not like him at all. I doubt he'd ever tell her what he did."

"I know, but I still doubted her, even for a split second." Wonho said, shaking his head. "I hate what he does to me. Turning me against people I care about."

"You said he talked about Gun. What did he say?" Shownu asked as he moved towards him.

Wonho looked at his feet, "He told me that he wanted to thank Gun for basically being his scapegoat."

"Why won't you let us pin him to the wall?" Shownu asked in exasperation, "We know he did it."

"What proof do we even have?" Wonho said with a broken smile, "8 kids who were all close to the deceased come out 10 years later with no actual proof other than seeing him do it? No one will believe us. They didn't before and they won't now. They just thought we were grieving kids who wanted to blame the rich."

Shownu rubbed his face, "We can find something on him, then. We can try."

"I just want to move on. I want to forget this all happened. I want to forget he exists but when I see him, I just want to destroy him."

Shownu gripped his shoulder, "So let us."

"I want to say yes, but we're all finally moving on, healing, forgetting, and doing this, it'll just set us back. it'll make us have to go back to the one of the worst times of our lives. It'll be too hard on us." Wonho mumbled while looking away.

Shownu shook his head, "We hate him just as much as you do. We can handle that."

"Maybe you guys can, but I can't. I can't go back to that place in my head and I'm scared that seeing him will do that."

"Is this about the lake?" Shownu whispered. "Is that why you don't want me and my dad to sue for that, either?"

Wonho shook his head and covered his eyes with his hand, "I can't do this right now and I definitely can't think about _that_. It's too much."

"I'm sorry that the world chose you to pick on and I know that after everything you've gone through, you want to prove to us and to yourself that you're strong, but it's okay to break down. You of all people deserve it." Shownu prompted.

Wonho tried to swallow the rock in his throat, "I feel like a kid again. I want to cry and wail and scream. I want to throw a tantrum. I want to say _This isn't fair, why do bad things always happen to me. I just want someone to make it stop. Make it go away._ But I can't."

"Why?"

"Because I'm scared that if I let myself wallow and feel sorry for me, that I might go back to a really dark place."

Shownu looked at Wonho's tattoo before he nodded, "She helped you get that?"

"Yeah." Wonho said while brushing along the cuts on his wrist.

Shownu pursed his lips, "And were you the reason that Yena's hair looks like a nicer version of Minhyuk's blonde?"

"Yeah." He repeated while looking at Shownu.

"Then maybe you're right. Maybe wallowing and self-pity _are_ dangerous things for you to do."

Wonho leaned his head back, "So what do I do?"

"You hold onto the one person who was making you remember your past without hurting."

\-----

"Holy shit." Kihyun whispered as the boys stood behind Shownu's bedroom door, overhearing the entire conversation through the partially opened door.

He looked at the other guys who all had the same sad, bleary-eyed look. Hyungwon looked away before taking a step back away from the door.

"Where are you going?" Minhyuk hissed.

Hyungwon wiped his face before he reached into his pocket and pulled out the ripped magazine sheets out of his pocket and threw them on the coffee table. The boy scurried over and crowded around it.

"Oh." Changkyun breathed out.

Hyungwon gave them a dry smile before blinking away his tears, "Why does the universe hate him so much? Why is it so cruel to him?"

"I knew that someone with a past like his wouldn't be fine and peachy that quickly, but it was so easy to believe that when he smiled and joked around with us, that he meant it. That he was actually happy." Jooheon said.

Changkyun tilted this head, "He is actually happy, it's just that being happy isn't always enough to forget the past."

"Yeah?" Kihyun asked dryly while picking up a crushed, old, unopened pack of cigarettes that Wonho hadn't touched in weeks, "Because he was doing a damn good job of it before Namjoon came back."

\-----

Everyone avoided Wonho at work the next day.

He came in, not even looking at his coworkers, keeping his head down and eyes hardened, threatening anyone who tried to speak to him with just one cutting look. He wasn't in the mood to crack jokes, he just wanted to get through the day and make it home.

Even LP stayed on his side of the shop, not once daring to visit Wonho's station like he normally would.

Wonho was grateful that the people he worked with knew when to back off because staring at the insides of a car was the only thing that was making sense to him right now. It was the only thing that was calming his mind.

Well…it _was._

"Hey."

Wonho stiffened, the hair on the back of his neck standing as he turned away from the Chevy he was working on to see the face of the voice that called him.

"I thought we said our last goodbyes yesterday." He said when he saw her standing behind him with a careful smile that didn't make him feel that careful.

Yena couldn't shake off how weird it felt.

To see him talk to her with a straight face, no teasing, no grinning and no playful glint in his eyes. It made her feel like she had done something wrong but he knew that she was engaged, he had no right to be blindsided.

Her lips twitched up in an attempt to smile, "Turns out I'll have more free time than I expected."

"Your fiancé is okay with that?" He asked while crossing his arms over his chest.

She grinned and he felt his heart flip, "He said he was okay with it."

Of course, he did.

Why wasn't he surprise? Namjoon always liked being the one in power. Now was no different.

"Then I guess our little affair can go on." He teased, Yena's heart warming when she saw the familiar smile.

He dug his nails into his palm as he tried to remind himself that she was the same person who she always was. She was not defined by the man she was engaged to. She isn't happy with him and he knew that.

And quite frankly, it was comforting knowing that she wasn't completely on Namjoon's side.

He knew better than to take any frustration he had on Namjoon, out on her. It was clear that she didn't know what Namjoon and his entire corrupt family were capable of and that was reassuring.

She was a kind woman with a kind heart that just wants to be happy.

No matter how much he hated Namjoon, he liked Yena too damn much to ice her out. 

She was the same girl.

"Funny." She deadpanned while leaning against a care next to the Chevy he was working on.

She watched him work in silence, taking in the way his brows creased in thought or how he'd chew on his lip when he couldn't figure something out. Her eyes trailed down his arm and watched the way his tattoo would shift when his veins moved as he flexed whenever he would turn the wrench.

"So guess what? I'll be going to a gala tomorrow. I think it'll be fun." She said with a smile after a while. "Of course, if you think schmoozing businessmen and laughing politely about theater is fun."

Wonho smiled and looked over at her, wondering if this would be their lives if Namjoon wasn't in the picture. If she'd just visit him on her breaks or after work to check in on him and spend time with him. He could see her waiting for him every day for his shift to end so that they could go home together. And no matter how tired he was whenever he tilted his head to see her standing next to him or sitting on the bench, he'd feel like he could take on an army of a hundred men.

But that was just his imagination.

Because in reality, she was here because her fiancé let her, the man she was going to marry in 3 short months and after talking to him for a few hours, no matter how happy he made her in that short time, she'd always go home to someone else.

Someone he despised.

"You know." He said quietly, "I always knew you were engaged, it wasn't really a big deal to me, but after meeting him, it makes it feel real. Before he was almost just a figment of my imagination, like a ghost or a make believe friend."

Yena nodded in understanding with a tight smile, "So does it feel wrong seeing me, now?"

"No." He said to himself, even though she could hear, "And I think that's the problem."

Yena tried to smile casually, pretending she didn't hear him and pretending he didn't make her feel things. 

"So January 15th, huh?" He said overly cheerfully, trying to compensate for the shift in mood.

Her smile fell and she looked away, "You did your research, huh? Yeah, I think it was in the university papers, there are archives online, right? God, I can still remember the headline, _College student raped on campus._ "

"What?" Wonho breathed out before dropped his wrench to look at her, "You were raped on January 15th?"

She blinked at him before frowning, "Yeah, wait, didn't you know? Then what were you talking about?"

"January 15th." He breathed out, "Isn't that when you're getting married?"

Her eyes grew wide as she hugged herself, "Oh, um, yeah, it is. Pretty messed up coincidence, right?"

"Doesn't Namjoon know? His fucking wife was assaulted and he doesn't even remember the date?" Wonho grumbled while abandoning the car entirely to stand closer to her .

Yena grew defensive as if she thought Namjoon could hear them, "I picked the date."

"Bullshit, you did." He snapped, "You wouldn't have done that, you wanted a spring wedding ."

She fell quiet but instead of feeling uncomfortable or suffocated, she just felt her heart flip. She had told him about when she wanted to get married in passing, just to make conversation.

How on earth had he managed to remember that?

He laughed dryly and shook his head, "Namjoon is a piece of fucking work."

Yena snapped out of her daze and shoved his arm back , "What's your problem with him, anyways? How do you two even know each other?"

"From school."

He didn't elaborate, nor did he want to.

"Are you okay with that date? Why don't you ask him to change it?" He asked her.

She shrugged, "It's too late for that. We've already made a lot of preparations. Shifting it even one day would cost a fortune."

"Did he do it on purpose?" Wonho asked while challenging her with his gaze, "Is he trying to remind you why you're with him or how much power he has over you and how you owe him if you ever thought about leaving him? You see that date and remember what he did for you and he guilt trips you even more."

"Please stop." She whispered out, not wanting to hear him ask her questions she was too afraid to find the answers to.

He just turned back to the car he was working on without speaking. Yena chewed on her lip, unease settling in her stomach. She wasn't blind, she knew he didn't like Namjoon and it wasn't just because of petty jealousy.

She saw the way he reacted when he saw Namjoon.

There was something there, something that neither men were telling her, but she knew that if Wonho thought it was important for her to know, he would've told her.

"So, have you picked a dress for the gala?" He said while staring at the engine.

Yena knew he was trying hard to be normal, to treat her like he normally did, but the tension was still evident, "I don't know, he usually hires a stylist who brings some options in the morning and I pick the one I like."

Wonho couldn't stop the condescending snort, "Let me guess, he pre-approves the dresses and pretends like he's giving you a choice but in reality he's just making the decision for you."

"Wonho." She breathed out helplessly.

It was true.

He was right.

That was exactly what Namjoon does.

He picks out the ones he finds _appropriate_ , usually conservative wit muted colours and the stylists has her try them on and pick one.

"Can't you be on my side?" She begged, making him still, "I can't have you antagonizing me too. I know you don't like him, I get it and I won't ask you about it if you don't want to tell me, but can't you treat me like you do normally? Before you met him?"

He closed his eyes, feeling guilt build inside him when he could hear the desperation in her voice, "I'm sorry."

"Can you call me Red and make some joke about how beautiful you think I am?" She asked with a weak laugh.

Wonho shook his head, "I can't do that and you know why."

Yena looked down at her feet and nodded weakly to hide her disappointment, "I und--"

"Because once I do, I'm worried I might fall in love with you, Red, because you're just too damn beautiful to be human."


	24. Chapter 24

"Here are the choices for you to pick from."

Yena was standing in the bedroom, looking at the rack of expensive dresses in her bathroom with her hair and makeup done. She frowned when she stared at the frumpy dresses, none of them catching her eyes.

She took her time, shifting through each other, but they all looked like bad prom dresses.

"This one is made from pure Italian silk." The stylist gushed when she saw Yena lingering in front of one gown.

Yena pursed her lips while scanning the other dresses, still unimpressed. She had an hour left and she needed to hurry and pick one or she would be late. But quite frankly, she'd rather fake the stomach flu than leave the house in any of these.

Just as she was about to settle on a plain black one, her eye caught something sticking out of one of the garment bags the stylist had tossed on the floor. 

"What's that?" She asked while pointing at it.

Her stylist looked embarrassed as she picked up the bag to tuck it away, "O-Oh, I'm sorry, I had a fitting before this."

Yena walked up to the back and held it open while staring at the contents for a moment before looking at the stylist, "Can I try that one on?"

"B-but it wasn't approved." Her stylist said frantically.

Yena's eyes twitched as her fists curled up, "I'm the wearing it, so the only person who is approving it is me. If Namjoon likes those dresses so much, then he should wear them. I want to try this one on, please."

"U-Uh..." The woman looked around skittishly before giving in reluctantly, "Okay."

Yena grinned proudly and took the dress to her walk in closet to try on. She slipped the fabric over her head and let it fall over her body until the hem grazed her toes. She bit back a gasp when she saw her reflection.

"I'll take this one!" She called from behind the door.

She hear her stylist sigh dejectedly while gathering up the other dresses, but Yena was too happy to care. This was perfect, it was better than anything that Namjoon could've picked out fo her. It was daring, bright and still had the demure touch needed for events like the gala.

And she knew just the shoes to match.

\-----

Namjoon was in the middle of checking his phone for messages when he heard the sound of heels clicking down the stairs. He looked up before freezing, his eyes narrowing and his jaw tensing when he saw what she was wearing. She was holding the bottom of her dress up and his eyes landed on the obnoxiously sparkly pair of heels that had her nearly the same height as him.

"I don't remember approving this dress." He muttered.

She hummed non committedly and dusted the fabric with her hands while smoothing it over her body.

She smiled at him, the same practiced dignified smile that she had mastered years ago but Namjoon's eyes twitched when he noticed something different about that smile.

Something that he had never seen before.

Something that didn't sit right with him.

"I know. " She said with that same smile.

He waited for her to give him an explination or say that she was going to go back upstairs and change but she just kept that smile on her face before heading to the door. "We'll be late."

And walked right on out.

Namjoon resisted the urge to drag her back into the house and force her to change because he knew that they were running late and that she had most likely waited until the last possible moment to come down stairs because he wouldn’t have the time to make her change.

He resisted his rage and just walked out after her.

What Namjoon didn't know was that the reason she looked different wasn't her smile or her makeup or her dress or her heels.

It was the fact that for the first time, she didn't give a damn what he thought.

\-----

Wonho was laying down under a car when his phone chimed, signalling a text. He set his screw driver down and fumbled in his pocket before he could pull the phone out. He held it over his face, barely able to move his body in the crammed space as he stared at the screen.

**From: Red**

**_1 Photo Attachment_ **

Wonho knit his brows, wondering what she could possibly send him, especially at this time when she said she was going to that event, and for a second he wondered if maybe she sent it to the wrong person until he swiped it open.

His eyes widened and he shot up, only to let out a string of pained curses when his forehead hit the car with a sharp _clank_.

"Fuck." He hissed while pressing his palm against his forehead while rolling himself out from under the car. He let out a groaned and rubbed the sore spot on his forehead with a wince before he sat up on his roller to get a better look at the photo she sent him.

It was of her, most likely standing in front of her closet mirror with her blonde hair pinned up in a lose braided bun and a searing red dress hanging wonderfully off her shoulders. With a daring neckline made of red lace and the rest fell over her body like melted rubies, she looked damn illegal.

A second later, another text popped up.

**Thoughts?**

He snorted and scrolled back up to stare at the picture, taking in the way her eyes curved up and her lips curled into a shy smile as if she was caught in the middle of a laugh. She had little diamond earrings hanging off her lobes and her eyes were dusting with a warm brown shadow and misty black liner that made her look like she knew everyone's deepest darkest secrets. Her cheeks were accentuated with powder and her skin was dewy like she was glowing.

She looked like an angel dressed like the devil.

And he positive that he was going to have nightmares about that dress for weeks.

He leaned his head against the bumper of the car and swiped his tongue across his lips before texting back a reply. He stood up, grabbed his jacket and raced to his bike parked outside.

"Where are you going?" LP called out.

"Home. Tell the boss I'll come in early tomorrow and finish the rest." He yelled over his shoulder before taking off.

\-----

Yena was walking into the ballroom with Namjoon when she felt her phone buzz in her purse. She glanced up at Namjoon before sliding her arm out of his to check her messages.

**From: That Guy**

**I was right. You look like a fucking masterpiece in red.**

Yena felt her face heat up and her heart flip as she shoved her phone back into her purse, a dumb smile on her lips as her skin tingled. She scrunched her nose up shly and could feel the blush on her cheeks as she tried to imagine his reaction with he opened the text. She was drifting in her own imagination that she didn't notice Namjoon shaking the hands of a colleague while sharing small chat.

"Where's the future Mrs. Kim?" One of the men asked.

Namjoon smiled and gestured to his side, "Right…." His voice trailed off when he noticed she wasn't next to him and craned his neck to see her standing a few steps behind him, smiling off into the room in a daze.

"Hey. _Yena_." His voice held a snap at her name that had her flinching and stepping up next to him with a readied smile.

She exchanged greetings, ignoring the slight jabs that the men and women made about her clubbing pictures and just focused on the way Namjoon dug his nails into her elbow, like he was holding her in place before dragging her off to greet someone else.

"I was almost surprised that Yena was in the tabloid, but that interesting dress explains a lot." One of the women said with a joking laugh, while everyone tittered around her.

Yena kept her smile steady but Namjoon answered for her before she could open her mouth, "It was humiliating for all of us, but she's reflecting and she's embarrassed and apologetic."

"And," She cut in with her saccharine voice, "I just picked this dress because I'd rather be interesting than boring and forgettable."

Man, did Wonho's words sound sweet on her tongue.

The woman looked shocked and everyone around her snickered as Namjoon cleared his throat, "Excuse us."

He dragged her way, not caring if she stumbled in her heels, "Don't ever pull something like that again, do you hear me? Don't ever _fucking_ embarrass me like that. I'm trying to do damage control over your ruined image, don't fuck this up. You should be kissing the ass of all the people here. Get off your entitled high horse."

Yena gulped and nodded so that he would let her go but to everyone else they looked like a sweet couple whispering to each other. He dropped her arm and hissed in her ear, "You're lucky I let you leave the house in that mess of a dress, I don't even know where you got that but don't push it. And try not to cause a scene."

Namjoon smiled when another businessman came up to them, "So Yena, I still can't believe you've been teaching for so long. Namjoon isn't treating you right?" He said with a laugh.

Namjoon chuckled and pulled her close to him, no one noticing the uncomfortable look on her face, "She insisted. She needed the ego boost and you know what they say, those who can't do, teach."

\-----

"Hey!" Wonho yelled as he ran through the door, kicking his shoes off and throwing his jacket to the side before unbuckling his belt and unzipping his pants, "Did Shownu leave yet?"

"Can you not strip in the middle of the living room, some of us are trying to eat." Minhyuk mumbled while he ate rice in front of the sink.

Kihyun snorted from the couch, the other boys still out at work or just busy with other stuff. "We get it, you work out, you're ripped, leave the rest of us alone, Magic fucking Mike."

"Yeah, Shownu works out more than you, but you don't see him strutting around shirtless." Minhyuk muttered.

Wonho rolled his eyes, "Is he gone? Yes or no."

"He just left, he's probably still in the garage, why?" Kihyun asked.

Wonho pulled his shirt over his head as he ran to his room, "Call him and tell him not to leave."

\-----

"This is a bad idea." Shownu said with a sigh as he started up his car. "This is a really, really, bad idea."

Wonho caught his breath while strapping the expensive watch Shownu got him for one of his birthday's years ago. "Why? You have a plus one, don't you?"

"You know that's not what I mean. They're going to be there. Yena, Namjoon and maybe even the others. You're sort of making yourself a target walking in there. You won't enjoy yourself if they're after you. Hell, I was preparing myself for them hassling me to get to you." Shownu muttered while leaning his head back against the rest.

Wonho chuckled, "Don't worry, I'll keep myself conspicuous."

"I really don't understand you. You said that seeing him brought back a bunch of horrible feelings that you didn't like, feelings that frightened you. You wanted it, everything, to just go away because you didn't want to keep taking steps backwards. You said that you didn't want to be anywhere near him and I'm guessing being around her isn't easy on your chest either. So, why are you willingly stomping into a place where the only thing she can be to you is his fiancée and the only person you can be to her is my guest?" Shownu asked with a frown.

Wonho shrugged and looked straight forward, "This is different."

"How?" He asked, befuddled.

Wonho kept his gaze straight and smiled just a fraction, "She's wearing a red dress."

Shownu looked over at him with a hopeless sigh, conceding to his friend before he noticed something and let out a snort.

"Is that my tie?"

\-----

"Ms. Ahn."

Yena blinked and looked around to see other guests staring at her while others were glancing over her shoulder in awe. Namjoon turned around first before she did and she could feel the arm around her tense.

She looked at the man who called her before grinning, "Shownu! I didn't know you were coming!"

People continued to stare as they walked by, probably wondering why one of the most powerful heirs was referring to a simple woman of no real status with _Ms._ signalling respect. He didn't use that terms of respect easily, everyone knew. If you wanted Son Shownu's respect, you had to damn well earn it.

Namjoon's face melted into a look of shock as he looked back and forth between the pair of them, "You…you two know each other?"

"Of course." Shownu said with a laugh, enjoying how thrown off he looked, "She's best friends with my girlfriend, the three of us have had lunch together multiple times."

Yena grinned and nodded, "How is she by the way?"

"Oh, she's h--"

Namjoon cleared his throat, interrupting him, "I'm sorry, but what? Yena's best friend is a plain grade school teacher. Aren't you dating Cho Hyerin, the heiress?"

"Cho Hyerin?" Yena asked as her smile faded into a look of confused betrayal."You're dating an heiress?"

Shownu grinned as his eyes landed over their shoulders, on his girlfriend gracefully gliding towards him in a stunning purple gown, "I am. Let me introduce you."

Before they could react, Hyerin stood next to him and wrapped her arm around his waist before chuckling at Yena, "Hey, sweetheart."

"A-Airin?" Yena breathed out in shock as her best friend beamed at her.

The girl scanned Yena's dress bouncing on her heels, "Oh! You look so pretty! That dress is killer I love it! Everyone in here is wearing black, white or some ugly shade of beige, you're a breath of sexy fresh air."

"W-Wait. H-Hold on." Yena said in confusion while looking between the two of them, "I don't understand."

Hyerin slid her eyes over at Namjoon who had lost all colour in his face as he gaped at her. Her grin grew as she leaned against Shownu, "What do you mean?"

"If you're dating Shownu, then who's Cho Hyerin?" She asked with furrowed brows.

Airin smiled and raised her free hand, "You're looking at her, that's my birth name."

"How is that possible?" Namjoon blurted out, unable to hide his shock. "You're not an heiress, you're a teacher."

She shrugged, "Technically I'm both. I just wasn't a huge fan of this high society crap, I haven't been for a while, so a year before I got hired, I convinced my father to let someone else take over the hotels when he retires. I already had my degree, so it's not like I was going to unemployed."

Shownu was enjoying the look on Namjoon's face far too much as he tightened his grip on Hyerin.

Hyerin smoothed her palm down Shownu's back, "I wanted to live a normal life without the tabloids, image management, and the incessant press, so I used my mom's maiden name, changed my first name and got a job as a teacher. I first met Shownu when I when to visit my dad at the office and he was meeting with his lawyers. In fact, he was the one that helped me convince my dad that the company would survive without me taking over. He finally relented and agreed to pass it down to someone else he trusted"

Namjoon smiled pleasantly, "He disowned you? That's awful."

"Oh, hun, of course not." She said with a mocking laugh and a touch of condescension, "My father gave me his full support and blessing. He just asked that I pretend that I still held the heiress title because he didn't want people pretending to kiss up to him just to get the company, he wanted people to think he was still passing it down to his daughter. You see, not all men feel entitled to control the women around them, punishing them if they go against them." She smiled sweetly, pleased at the way he tried to hide his scowl.

"She thought she was being cute when she picked the name Airin because she thought it sounded like Hyerin when you said it fast." Shownu snorted.

Namjoon tried to appear unaffected but it was obvious, "Is it smart then? To show up here and talk about not being the heiress anymore, so loudly in public?"

"Ever since _someon_ e leaked our relationship to the press, I realized that _someone_ was trying to prove a point. I figured I'd beat them to the punch." She said with a sweet giggle.

Yena frowned, still taken aback, "Cho Hotels is a multimillion dollar chain, you live in a single bed apartment and take the bus."

"Yeah, for work. I didn't want people to treat me differently if they knew I was a Cho or that I had a lot of money, so I like to keep a low profile and live a simple life. Make everyone believe that I'm just a _plain_ teacher." She looked over at Namjoon and smiled, "It helps weed out the fakes."

Yena pouted, "How come you never told me? We've known each other for years, we're best friends."

"Aww." Hyerin whined when guilt filled her stomach, "I'm sorry, I really wanted to, but I was scared you'd get mad at me for hiding it from you. Not to mention, I didn't want anything to change between us, you were the only person who treated me like a human."

Yena smiled slightly, warming Hyerin's heart, "You idiot. It wouldn't have changed a thing."

"This is why Hyerin speaks so highly of you." Shownu said with a smile.

Hyerin's smile fell when she heard someone call her name and rolled her eyes, "That's my cue. Apparently attending a public event for the first time, revealing you're no longer an heir and showing my face to the world means that everyone wants to introduce themselves. I'll see you guys around."

She tilted her head up at Shownu who only blinked at her before smiling and kissing her forehead, "I'll catch up with you when you're done."

Hyerin grinned before winking at Yena and walking away.

Namjoon cleared his throat having been silent the entire time, "That was quite the…surprise. I hadn't realized she was that--"

"She's full of surprises. A lot of people underestimate her, but she's brilliant. If you think you're ever one step ahead of her, it's because she wants you to think you are. Chances are, she's already 5 steps ahead." Shownu said while watched Hyerin shake hands and share smiles.

"So, I'm guessing she's your date." Yena asked Shownu when Hyerin left.

Shownu shook his head while slipping his hands into his pockets, "She's here with her dad."

"Going stag? That's risky." Namjoon snorted, making Yena clenched her jaw tight.

Shownu just grimaced as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Not exactly."

"Your two look sharp."

Yena froze, her blood running hot and her heart dropping to her stomach when she saw Wonho call out to them as he strolled over with a charming grin. He was dressed in a dark navy blue suit, the only one at the entire party not in black, his hair was slicked to the side, his piercings were gone, brown leather dress shoes on his feet and her heart stopped when she saw his tie.

It was red.

He looked heartbreakingly handsome.

He grinned when he saw the stiffened look on Namjoon's face as the man's eyes darted around the room.

"W-What are you doing here?" She breathed out while staring at him, wide eyed.

He smiled politely, "Shownu didn't want to go alone, figured I owed him a favour."

Shownu resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

Wonho looked over at Yena and smiled, "You look lovely, tonight. Spectacular in person."

Yena gulped down the lump in her throat and smiled back weakly before breathing out a faint, "Thank you."

"You're playing a very interesting game, Wonho." Namjoon said slowly.

Shownu chewed on the inside of his lip and glanced cautiously at Wonho who seemed surprisingly at ease,

Wonho blinked at Namjoon before looking over at Yena with a devilish smile on his lips, making her skin flush and with eyes that looked so dark and so taunting that she couldn't think straight.

"I'd rather be interesting than boring and forgettable."

\-----

"What are you doing here?"

Wonho didn't have to glance over his shoulder to know who was behind him when he leaned against the bar with a glass of scotch in front of him. "What do you mean?"

Yena sat next to him, "Why are you here?"

"You send me a picture of you looking like a fucking goddess and you expect me not to want to come down to see for myself if the picture did you any justice?" He said with a raised brow as he turned his head to look at her. "It didn't…by the way."

Yena's eyes widened and quickly looked away, to avoid his intense gaze and tapped her fingers against the counter.

Wonho watched her fingers before tilting his head at her, "Why did you send me that picture, anyways?"

"I-I don't know." She said awkwardly. "I just thought it was funny…you know…the Red thing and all. I didn't think you'd come."

He used both hands to cup his glass while looking at her, "Has anyone told you that you look so incredibly wonderful tonight? Easily outshining every man and woman here."

"Stop." She snorted, nudging his shoulder with her, making him chuckle.

She fell silent and he glanced over at her and noticed her eyes locking onto every glass of wine, scotch, and champagne that was being served in longing. He used the tips of his fingers and pushed his glass against her arm that was propped up on the bar top.

She jerked back when she felt the cold against her skin and looked at Wonho curiously who just winked at her, "I won't tell anyone."

She looked at the glass, he had drank most of it, but there was still enough left. She shot him a grateful smile and quickly lifted the glass and downed the contents, letting out the most endearing growl when the burn hit her throat. 

He grinned when she scrunched her face up before shaking her head, trying to ease the taste down. "You good?"

She nodded before letting out a breath, "I think I'll need more than that to make it through this event."

"Not your speed?" He asked with a quirk on his lip.

She gave him a look, "No comment."

"Well, as much as I'd love to stay by your side and order copious amounts of alcohol for you to get hammered on, I think you'll need to keep your wits about you around this crowd." He said while taking his empty glass from her.

She hummed, "Good call."

"Isn't he going to be looking for you?" Wonho mumbled while facing forward.

She fell silent for a few beats, "Yeah, probably."

"Do you want to go find him?" He prompted.

When she didn't reply, he continued, "You're not a bad person if you say no, you know that, right?"

"Yeah." She breathed out, "I know that."

"You're not a bad person if you don't want to be with him anymore, too."

Yena stiffened, her freshly painted nails digging into the marble of the bar top, "Even if I don't, I ow--"

"Don't say you owe him anything… _please_ , because you know that's not true. " He said under his breath.

She shook her head, "I might not have survived if it wasn't for him."

"No, you might not have survived if it wasn't for _you._ You're the woman who picked herself back up, finished school, got a job, care about every student she passes, held her head high, treats everyone around her with kindness despite the world treating her like shit. He had nothing to do with your survival." He said smoothly.

She shook her head, wondering it was the scotch that was making her throat burn or the panic, "Wonho."

"I'll drop it, but can I say one more thing?" He asked her.

She nodded, not trusting her voice. She could've said no, she could've just stood up and walked away, but something was telling her that she needed to hear what he had to say.

"That night, in front of the street artist, you told me not to get married just because you think you _should_. Marrying someone because you think you _owe_ them, is the same thing. You might think you can suck it up and live with someone you don't love now, but 10, 15, 25, 50 years from now, you'll be unhappy and suffocated. You don't deserve that. _Fuck_ , you deserve someone who loves you so much that they can't think straight when they see you." He said gently. 

Yena stared at the counter, using her finger to trace the patterns in the marble top. Wonho sighed and looked at the glass of scotch before using his thumb to smudge the stain Yena's lipstick had left on it.

"If you're happy with him. If you're _sure_ that you'll be happy with him and that he can keep you happy for the rest of your life, then be with him. But if there's a moment where you think _I can't spend the rest of my life feeling the way I feel now_ , then just walk out now, because you have more people rooting for you than you think." He muttered.

She cleared her throat, blinking back her tears, "You look very handsome tonight, Wonho."

"Goddamn, Red." He said with a light laugh and a shake of his head.

She gave him a smile that wasn't fake, practice, weak or scared. She just smiled at him, "I know, you came here on your own will…but thanks."

"For coming?" He asked, in surprise as he watched her stand up and adjust her dress.

She nodded with that same smile, "Seeing you, Shownu and Airi--I mean Hyerin, all together, makes me feel at ease. Comforted, you know."

"Any time, Red." 

\-----

"What are you doing here?"

It's strange how the same five words could sound so different depending on who was talking. Wonho cracked his neck before turning to look at the person in front of him.

"Not speaking to you." He muttered under his breath before trying to walk away.

He knew this would happen, he was prepared for it, knowing who would be here, but that didn't mean he was looking forward to running into them.

"Just let me speak to you for 5 minutes. I've been trying to get into contact with you for a long time."

Wonho snorted, "And after the third declined phone call, you should've got the hint."

"After what happened at the lake, we couldn't just sit by and not do anything for you."

"We?" Wonho said sarcastically, "No. _We_ doesn't want to do shit for me. _We_ wants to shut up all the loose ends, don't think I didn't see the non-disclosure clause. _We_ just wants to cover your asses. And you, I think you're the worst of all. You just don't want a guilty conscious anymore."

The person's face filled with sadness, "I know that's what it seems like, but I do care about you. I want you to be well off. Live comfortably."

"Comfort? You took that away from me. Money isn't going to bring it back." Wonho growled, his eyes darting up to see Yena watching him curiously from across the ballroom, standing next to Namjoon who was talking to an associate.

The person looked down, desperation in their tone, "You need to take this money, Wonho."

"See." Wonho said with a laugh while pointing, "This is why I don't want to accept shit from you. I want you all to spend the rest of your lives looking over your shoulders, wondering if today's the day that Shin Wonho is going to fuck everything up for you."

"I know you're angry. You have every right to be, bu--"

His eyes narrowed, "If you know that I'm angry, then you wouldn't be here, clawing at a closed door. I'm done with all of you, you can't buy me off."

"That's not what we're trying to do."

"Isn't it? He said with a snort, "Money won't silence me, but maybe seeing certain people behind bars might do the trick."

"Wo--"

Wonho smiled, "Do you read Emerson?"

"N-No."

Wonho leaned his head down to meet their eyes, "Commit a crime, and the earth is made of glass."

He gave them a hard look before he walked away, leaving the person in the middle of the room, fading away, leaving before he could hear the desolate whisper crack through their dry throat.

"You're right." 


	25. Chapter 25

She could feel him spacing out, like his mind wasn't on this planet, with her.

Namjoon just swayed with her methodically, barely noticing her in his arms. She couldn't meet his eyes, not out of bashful shyness but because she was worried that if she stared for too long, he'd notice her and scold her for something.

But it wasn't until she heard his voice rumble in his chest. She blinked and looked up at him only to find out that he was talking to another man who was also dancing with his wife, about business or stocks or something.

Yena bit back her sigh and looked around at the other couples who were also dancing together with their husbands or dates. They were all talking business to each other, half-heartedly dancing while their wives tried not to look bored or annoyed.

Licking her lips nervously, Yena felt dread fill her core when she was hit with a scary thought.

Was she one of those women?

The women she secretly detested?

The women like Mina? The type that she swore she different from.

Was she exactly the same, submissive, delusional woman who could be bought? But instead of being bought with material gifts, she was bought by the fantasy of being in a loving marriage.

But that was never them, was it?

There was no love in their marriage and she was starting to realize that this was what all the other women must've felt when they started dating their husbands. They must've had high expectations, believing that their love was stronger than others and that they would be an exception.

And by the time they realized that they weren't, they'd be so deep in that they couldn't turn back.

She had been enamored with the idea that she and Namjoon could be different from all these couples. That he could still be a successful CEO and she could still be his dignified dutiful wife all while maintaining and perfect, loving relationship. That was the way she saw their relationship but maybe it was only her who saw it that way. 

Because he had never treated her with any ounce of love.

Her eyes land on Hyerin and Shownu and she gulped. They weren't like the rest.

They were dancing away from the crowd and the few men that were glancing at Shownu, trying to get his attention to chat were at a loss because his eyes were locked solely on the woman in his arms. His forehead was pressed to hers and she could see both their lips moving as they mumbled to each other. She watched Hyerin smile, her eyes curving up. 

Yena craned her neck until she could see Shownu's face, her own heart immediately flipped when she saw how love struck the man looked. His eyes would follow her every move until he leaned closer and kissed her softly while they swayed.

Yena nearly snorted, she had never seen a couple kiss at any of these events and almost every man came with a date. Suddenly a hand came around her neck and her face was shoved against Namjoon's chest. she winced and blinked up at Namjoon who was still looking over at the man he was talking to.

_Oh._

She realized that she must've looked like a fool while trying to do acrobatics while attempting to stare at Shownu and Hyerin. Yena gulped, hoping she hadn't irritated him too much.

"May I cut in?"

Yena's eyes were wide and she felt like the oxygen was punched out of her lungs when Wonho stood behind Namjoon with a smirk. Namjoon's hands dropped from her waist and her arms slipped off his shoulder as he turned to face him. Wonho had seen how bored and disinterested Yena looked and how the entire time, she couldn't keep her eyes off of Shownu and Hyerin before he decided it was time to cut intervene. 

It should be a punishable crime to be able to hold a woman that breathtaking and not pay any attention to her.

Namjoon snorted, "Over my dea--"

"Oh, this is great." The man Namjoon said while be stopped dancing with his wife, "This will give us a chance to talk about the White account."

Namjoon's lips parted, speechlessly, as he looked between Yena who looked dazed and Wonho who looked smug. Namjoon clenched his teeth and smiled politely before looking at Yena, "Is that okay with you, darling?"

"S-Sure." She croaked out.

Namjoon shot Wonho a look before following the other man out of the ballroom. His wife scoffed and rolled her eyes while muttering a soft, "I need a drink." Before walking to the bar.

Yena bit back a gasp when she felt Wonho's arm slip slowly around her waist and pulled her to his chest.

"Hi." He mumbled with a smile while wrapping his other around her, locking her into his embrace.

Her lips quirked up as she relaxed against him, leaning her chest against his, "Hi. Cute tie."

"Cute tie, cute girl. What do you expect?" He teased but instead of rolling her eyes or looking away, she just smiled and leaned her head against his neck, tucking herself snugly against his body with his chin propped protectively on the top of her head as her soft hair tickeled the skin on his neck.

His heart was pounding out of his chest, she had been touching him far too comfortably for a woman that shifted away from him on instinct in the past.

But fuck, he wasn't complaining.

"Yeah." He breathed out when he felt her sigh against his collar, "Really cute girl."

She chuckled and continued to sway with him as music drifted through the night. "I think you might be right."

"About you being cute? I don't lie, Red."

She laughed tiredly, "No. About…about me deserving more."

Wonho's teasing smile faded as he held her tighter, "I don't know what I want anymore. Maybe this feeling is only temporary and maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and think that I was being stupid and go on with planning this wedding, but maybe I won't and if I won't, then I don't want to do something that I'll spend the rest of my life regretting. I don't want to become the sole thing I hated."

"Do you want to leave him?" Wonho asked carefully.

She fell silent and Wonho felt his heart drop, "It's not that easy. He's not a normal guy, Wonho. He's not used to having things not go his way. He's not used to people turning him down or saying no to him and I don't know how he'll react when someone finally cuts the cord."

"Are you scared he'll do something to you?" Wonho asked his anger washed over him.

She hummed and took a deep breath of his scent, "I'm scared that I can't answer that question easily."

"I won't let anything happen to you. I swear."

Yena blinked and pulled away before looking at him as if he was trying to trick her, "Why?"

"Because I like you too much." He said while staring into her eyes.

Yena hated herself.

Why?

Because she wanted to kiss him.

She wanted to kiss him so badly that it felt physically painful.

She wanted to taste him because someone who always said sweet things had to have sugar dripping off their tongue and she wanted to know what that tasted like on her mouth.

"Do you want to come with me to visit my parents tomorrow?" She blurted out.

Wonho blinked at her before knitting his brows, "Really?"

"Y-Yeah. Um…I haven't seen them in a while and it's a bit of a trip and I was planning to go alone, spend the night there, if you have time off after lunch and don't mind spending the night in a tiny house on the country side, then, umm…" She was flailing around with her words as her face grew red in panic.

She looked up at him and felt her panic grow larger when he just stared at her blankly. "I mean, it's just an invitation. Y-You don't have to say yes, it's nothing personal if you don’t' want to come. Actually, it's pretty random and you might feel awkward meeting someone else's par--"

"I'll pick you up at 12."

Her eyes rounded before smiling shyly, "Yeah?"

"I'll bring my sleeping bag." He teased, making her giggle. 

"That might be useful." She joked.

He smiled at her while wondering if it was normal to want to kiss a girl whenever you saw her.

\-----

"Oh, god." Hyerin muttered when her eyes drifted past Shownu's shoulder.

Shownu hummed, "What's wrong?"

"Look at them." She whispered.

Shownu turned their bodies so that they could both look at what she was looking at. Shownu let out a breath when he saw Yena and Wonho dancing closer to each other than any other couple on the dance floor. Hyerin bit down on her lip when she saw the way Yena looked up at Wonho, her eyes sparkling and shy. She could only imagine the ice that was melting off her body when she looked at him.

"Does she love him?" Hyerin whispered to Shownu who just frowned.

He sighed, "Maybe when they first started dating she believed she loved them but now, I don't thin--"

"No." Hyerin breathed out, cutting him off. "Does she love _him_?"

Shownu looked over at Yena and Wonho before he realized what she meant. "O-Oh."

"It's a total reach, isn't it? To think she could love someone she didn't know for long, especially since she's so loyal to the asshole she's going to marry." Hyerin said while sliding her palms down his neck to rest them on his chest.

"Maybe." He mumbled. "Or maybe she does really love him and she's just pretending like that's not what it is. A girl like her would hate herself if she admitted she liked a man that wasn't the man she was with."

Hyerin closed her eyes, "Wonho's a good guy, right?"

"One of the best." Shownu said without missing a beat.

Her eyes narrowed, "I'm going to destroy Namjoon."

"Easy there, hon." He mumbled, brushing his lips against her forehead.

She cleared her throat, surprising him with her teary eyes, "She was the _only_ person who treated me nicely. She didn't judge me, she didn't treat me like she was better than me. She was sweet and kind and for the love of god, she put me in her damn bridal party when we all know that Namjoon would rather chop his balls off before having a plain teacher as his wife's maid of honor. I knew her before I knew you. She was there when I had _no friends_ , she made me feel like I could be whoever I wanted. When I was an heiress I only had fake friends, ones that just hung out with me because our parents ran in the same circles and when I became a teacher I didn't have a lot of friends either, but I had her. I always had her."

"Then…" His voice trailed off as he tilted her head up to press his lips against hers, humming comfort into her mouth. He pulled away rested his head on hers, "Then we destroy him and make her look like a saint while we do it."

She knit her brows, "What about Wonho? I thought he wanted you to steer clear of Namjoon."

"I'm not doing this for Wonho, I'm doing this for you and Yena and if Wonho benefits from it? Well, that's just an added bonus."

Hyerin sighed dreamily and pulled him down by the tie to kiss him, hot and messy, before leaning away, leaving him breathless and slightly aroused.

"I love us."

\-----

"What did the two of you talk about?" Namjoon asked when he returned to take her from Wonho, who had just grinned and walked away.

She shrugged as they swayed stiffly from left to right, but to everyone else they looked like the most graceful couple in the room. "Just this and that, nothing really of substance."

Namjoon hummed in deep thought before Yena glanced at him, "Why does it feel like you two don't like each other? Did something bad happen?"

"Kind of." Namjoon said before looking at her, "Before I met you I dated a girl but it wasn't until after I dated her that I found that she was also dating Wonho before leaving him for me. He's just holding a grudge over."

Yena's brow creased as she looked away, surprised that he indulged that much information with her, "Oh, that doesn't really sound like him to be that petty."

"Why?" His voice frosted over and he stared down at her, "Did he saying something different?"

Her eyes widened at his defensive tone, "N-No, it's just that, I know him pretty well, so I'm just….surprised."

"People can surprise you all the time, darling." He said before tilting her head so that she wasn't looking at him so that he could speak to someone else.

Yena just mindlessly looked around until her eyes landed on Wonho who was sitting at one of the tables.

Her heart seized up at the beautiful sight. He was sitting with his legs parted, leaning his elbows on his knees as he played with a flower that he most likely stole from one of the center pieces. He was twirling it between his fingers as he stared at the soft pink petals with blank eyes.

For the first time, his hair wasn't blocking his eyes and she could see the way his brows knit in concentration as he stared at the flower. She was in a trance as she watched him and she could remember how he held her when he danced her, his warmth crowding in on her and everything about him had felt comfortable.

Almost as if he sensed her gaze, he looked up and scanned the floor until his eyes spotted her. She panicked when he stared blankly at her and her chest started to constrict as anxiety filled her body.

He was mad at her.

She knew.

She didn't know why, but she knew she did something wrong. Something that made him hate her. He didn't like her, he didn't like the sight of her. He hated her for dancing with Namjoon and he probably thought of her as some whore that just jumped from the arms of one man to the arms of another.

She disgusted him.

She knew it when a familiar feeling crawled up her throat.

But then he smiled at her.

Her lips parted as she stared at him with wide eyes. His lips split further and his smile grew, revealing his straight teeth as he grinned at her. It wasn't mocking or antagonizing, it was just one of his signature cheeky smiles that had her skin heating up.

He shot her a wink before standing up. She stopped dancing when he ducked around the crowd and headed for the door. That caught Namjoon's attention when he looked down at her.

"What are you doin--"

"I'll be right back." She muttered distractedly before pulling away from him and leaving him stranded in the middle dance floor, not even considering the reproductions it would cause as she wove through the dancing bodies to Wonho.

She felt a feminine hand circle her arm and yank her back, "Yena! Oh dear, we need to catch up about your wedding. I heard that your maid of honor is Cho Hyerin, why didn't you say so? I always loved her, she's such a sweetheart. "

She gave Mina's face a glance before frowning and brushing her off, "I need to go, excuse me."

She lifted the hem of her dress and ran through the crowd before frantically looking around the hall until she saw his back retreating to the parking garage.

"Wonho!" She called out while running towards him.

He stopped and turned around while watching her run over to him, "A-Are you going home?"

"Yeah, I have an early day tomorrow. Don't worry, Shownu gave me his keys, Hyerin will probably give him a ride." He said with a slight smile. "I'll pick you up at noon, alright?"

Yena nodded while fidgeting with her fingers. He tilted his head and stepped closer to her, "Did I tell you that you look beautiful tonight?"

"Yes." She always sounded so breathless around him.

His lips quirked up when she continued, "A lot, actually, but you used more creative words."

A rough chuckle escaped his lips as he peered at her. He sighed and held out the pink rose he was playing with earlier. Yena reached out and took it from him, their fingers brushing against each other. He leaned over to her and gently kissed her on the cheek before whispering in her ear.

"You deserve so much."

She held her breath, her cheek searing as he leaned away, smiled at her one more time and walked away, leaving her with a flower that was losing its petals.

\-----

Wonho could still hear Shownu's voice in his head when he had found him sitting alone. He reached into his pocket as the words replayed like echos in his mind.

_That's how it's always going to end, Wonho._

_You'll always be the better guy, the nicer guy, the guy who makes her heart stop when you dance with her, but the world she's in and the society she's in, she can't go home with you._

_Even if she hates him, until she breaks free, it'll be him._

_It'll always be him._

Wonho pulled out a stray cigarette that he had brought with him and placed it between his lips before holding his lighter up to his mouth. He took a deep breath through his nose and flicked his lighter on, letting it sway back and forth in front of his eyes.

_"W-What's going on? What are we doing?"_

_"Don't worry, baby."_

He slowly tilted it towards the cigarette and watched the embers glow as smoke streamed out of his lips on instinct. The burn in his throat from the tobacco hurt more than it used to. It was like he was inhaling a thousand glass shards that scrapped down the column of his neck. His body was screaming at him, asking him why he was doing this to himself again after it was going so well.

He parted his lips and blew out smoke like a dragon.

_Old habits die hard._


	26. Chapter 26

"You're going now?" Namjoon asked when he saw Yena walking to the door with a duffle bag over her shoulder.

She nodded and shoved her feet into her shoes, "The flight is in an hour."

"Are you sure about going alone? Why don't you ask Hyerin to tag along?" He offered, his voice coated in sickly sweetness that it sounded fake.

Yena tried not to let the distaste show on her face. Ever since Namjoon found out that she was close with Shownu and Hyerin, he had been treating her a lot nicer. He didn't even yell at her for leaving him in the middle of the dance floor last night. He just wanted to know all the details of their friendship and it was starting to irritate her.

He was never this interested in her life or friends before he found out who they were. 

"She's busy and I wanted to go alone." She said before shifting her bag on her shoulder, "So…I'll see you tomorrow night."

He nodded and walked towards her, making her stiffen in fear. She held her breath when he smiled, "I'll miss you."

She stared at him in shock, her eyebrows twitched in confusion as she searched for the hidden meaning behind his words but she could find none. He had never said anything like that to her before and it unsettled her, he barely said _goodbye_ or _good morning_. His smile looked terrifying like he was patronizing her before she died, like a predator toying with its prey.

"I'll be back tomorrow." Was all she could breath out, averting her eyes when his smile faltered a fraction.

He cleared his throat and fixed his smile before coming towards her for a kiss, Yena quickly ducked her head and slipped out the door, her body shaking as she walked to the curb where Wonho was waiting in a car.

2 months ago, she would've been a brainless mush if he ever said he missed her much less tried to kiss her. She would've felt like she was on top of the world like their love was real, pure and one of a kind.

She would've been naïve.

Now she felt disgusted.

He was fake.

He spent the last few years of her life barely acknowledging her existence unless she did something wrong, but the second he realized she had powerful friends, that she was finally of some use to him, he was acting like she was his whole world.

She walked down the driveway and grit her teeth.

She wasn't a fool.

She wasn't going to be tricked that easily and swayed by a couple of disingenuous words and gestures. He could scare her into submission, but when he wasn't around and when he wasn't in her head, the submission was nonexistent.

Suddenly she could start to see things more clearly.

Wonho was tapping his fingers against the steering wheel, humming a soft tone when he saw Yena coming to the car through his peripheral. He unlocked the door and had a greeting on his tongue when she threw her bag in the back seat with a scowl.

"Sorry for the wait." She muttered while strapping herself in.

He shook his head and turned the car on, "No problem. Ready to go?"

She glanced at the house tucked behind the corner, barely enough for her to see the roof and imagined what it would feel like if she left and never came back. If one day she just got into a car with Wonho and made him drive her far, far away.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

\-----

Yena was silent the entire plane ride, it was a short one and she spent most of the time just staring out the window, staring at the clouds. Once they landed, Yena pulled on a thick jacket, knowing that the island was colder and the two of them headed for the busses.

Again, Yena stayed silent when they sat next to each other, idly staring out the window until Wonho finally had to break the silence. "What are your parents like?"

"Huh?" She looked over at him as if he snapped her out of a trance before shaking her head, "Oh, they're like normal parents, loving, caring, embarrassing. I haven't seen them in a really long time, though."

Wonho nodded as silence washed over the pair of them again until Yena decided to break it this time, "What happened with you and Namjoon?"

"What?" He blurted, his body frozen. He hadn't expected her to ask him about Namjoon up front, "What do you mean?"

His eyes darted to her ring as she laced her fingers together, "I mean, clearly the two of you have bad blood. I was wondering why."

He could tell her.

He could tell her everything about Namjoon and he knew for sure that she'd be horrified and leave him. If she knew what she was marrying herself into, what kind of a _monster_ he was, her ring would be in the bottom of a trash can in 5 minutes.

He could use the truth to get her out of her engagement.

But just because he _could,_ didn't mean he _should_.

"The past is the past, Red."

He knew Yena wasn't satisfied with his answer and quite frankly, neither was he, but he wasn't going to manipulate her, she had enough of that in her daily life. If she was ever going to leave Namjoon, it wasn't going to be because he ratted him out, it was going to be because she was done with him.

Yena didn't like the feeling in her stomach ever since Namjoon and Wonho met.

It was like everything around her shifted 1 centimeter to the left except for her, so when she tried to navigate around their relationship blindfolded, she was always 1centimetre off, bumping into things. 

It was so disorientating like the most familiar parts of her life felt foreign and insignificant.

She couldn't tell if she was pulling away from Wonho or if he was pulling away from her, but things just weren't the same with each other anymore. It was all Namjoon's fault, whatever happened between him and Wonho was wrecking her friendship with him.

It affected Wonho so much that he was dancing around her.

And that pissed her off. 

Regardless, Yena didn't pry and just went back to staring out the bus window, watching memories of her hometown pass her by.

She was living the dream.

The small country mouse made it to the big city, married rich and was the apple of everyone's envy.

Who was she before she left home?

She was an innocent, bright-eyed girl, who wanted to see the world. After spending her whole life crowded up into a small village, she yearned to see the big city. Her parents were nervous, worried that she wasn't ready to leave home, that she wasn't ready for the big world, but she convinced them that she wanted this and they let her go.

She wished she'd listen to them.

Because she had high expectations of the city life, but none of them gave her the hindsight that she needed.

The city was a _cold, ruthless, dark_ war where only the fittest survived.

And if you were like her, weak, you don't become a hunter, you become a sea anemone.

You make a deal with a hermit, a deal that balances largely on your own naivety. You sign an unspoken contract where: _you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours._

I'll save you from the hungry predators as long as you concede to my every whim.

It was the most selfish form of altruism.

Wonho blinked and turned his head to see Yena's head tucked against his neck as steady breaths escaped her lips. He checked his watch, they had an hour left, he carefully pushed up his armrest and gently tugged her against him until her side was pressed tightly against him.

It was the most selfish form of altruism.

\-----

"This…this is it." Yena said as they stood in front of a modest house on a large plot of land.

He didn't know how to explain it but the house screamed _Yena_.

He could almost imagine a toddler Yena running around the house, squealing and shrieking as her mother tried to chase after her. He could see a 12-year-old Yena playing in the grass or swinging on the old rickety swing hanging off a tree while her father watered the plants. He could see a 16-year-old Yena being taken to her first date, shy, nervous and far too precious.

And he could see a 19-year-old Yena, waving to her parents from the door before leaving home to Seoul.

"I've been a Seoul boy my whole life." He mumbled while taking in the house, "This is amazing."

She shook her head with a laugh, "Overkill, much? It's a plain old house, Wonho."

"Yeah, but I love countryside houses. It's so simple and peaceful." He said while his hands on his hips.

She snorted and heaved her bag up, "Let's go."

\-----

"Oh, honey you're here!" Yena's mother exclaimed while hugging the girl, "It's been so long."

Yena smiled and hugged her mom back, basking in the familiar warmth that she had almost forgotten, "I missed you, so much."

Yena's mother let go of her and held her at arm's length to take in her daughter's face before her gaze landed on an awkward Wonho. "You must be the friend Yena told me about."

"It's nice to meet you, ma'am." He said while holding out a small gift he had bought.

Her other slapped his hand away and hugged him, "Just call me Lia."

Wonho gulped and hugged her back before she started to usher the both of them into the house, attacking them with questions about their travel, the weather and the story a woman at the market told her. Yena's mother talked…a lot, Wonho couldn't tell if she was always like that or if Yena was just oddly quiet.

They could barely get a word in, her mother just kept talking before grabbing her arm, "Sweetheart, come with me, I need to show you pictures that our neighbor brought back from their trip to Japan."

"W-Wait, where's dad?" Yena asked frantically.

Her mother pointed to the living room, "He's watching his shows, Wonho can keep him company, right?"

Yena looked at Wonho in a panic but her mother was already dragging her away to another room. Wonho felt fear claw up his throat as he reached out for, attempting to pull her back, but she was already out of his reach.

"W-Wait, R-Red."

No.

No.

No.

No.

He was bad with dads.

The ripped jeans, leather jacket and piercings never boded well and his new tattoo probably didn't help his case. He was not the type to always leave good impressions on the fathers of beautiful women, though he didn't have a lot of experience to tell him otherwise. Taking a breath, Wonho shuffled to the living room where the small TV was playing an old movie while he sat in a love seat.

He stood by her father's chair, awkwardly rocking on his heels while twisting his fingers together. The man could sense Wonho's presence but did not acknowledge him at all, letting him stand aimlessly next to him with nothing to do with his hands.

Her father looked intimidating, his eyes steely and hard, his face lined with wrinkles that proved long hours of labor and his body sitting stoically in his seat while staring at the TV.

Wonho stood in an uncomfortable silence for a few seconds before clearing his throat, "I-It's nice to meet you, sir."

It was dead silent except for the soft voices of Yena and her mother talking to each other in another room. Finally he looked up, his vacant eyes staring straight through him before he spoke, his voice gravelly and deep.

"Who are you?"

Wonho gulped the rock down his throat before bowing politely. "I-I'm one of Re--Yena's friends. W-Wonho."

"Am I supposed to know you?" Her father asked in confusion.

Wonho swallowed his spit and shook his head, "No, sir."

"How do you know my girl?" He asked, his face still etched in perplexity.

Wonho had never felt more nervous and pressured in his life, "I met her through work."

"Do you like her?" Her father asked in confusion.

Wonho blinked at him a few times before nodding slowly, "I do, sir."

"YENA!" He called out, "Your friend is here, come downstairs!"

Wonho knit his brows together before Yena came out from the dining room instead of down the stairs, "I'm right here, dad." 

"Okay." Her father said with a nod before looking at Wonho, "Son, you can join us for dinner but you can't stay here passed 7, she has homework and she needs to finish it before school." He turned to Yena with a stern gaze, "And keep the door open, you know my rule about boys in your room, young lady."

What did he mean?

Wonho stared at Yena, utterly lost, but she just quickly looked away, "He's staying the night, dad."

"What?" He asked with a frown, "Ahn Yena, you are 16 years old, you are _not_ having a boy stay over in your room. Are you out of your mind?."

Wonho gulped when he saw how Yena's hands were trembling and her lip was quivering as she fought back whatever was building up. Yena's mother cut in to ease the tension.

"Sweetheart, he'll sleep on the couch, don't worry. Yena told us about this before." Her mother cooed.

Her father huffed, "No, she didn't. "

"She told us, dear. She said she was bringing a friend instead of Namjoon."

Her father's eyebrows knit together as he stared at Wonho, "Who? Who is that?"

"Never mind." Yena said stiffly, stopping her mother from continuing. "He's staying over dad, don't worry, it's okay, I'm an adult now. A man--a boy staying over isn't a big deal."

Her father shook his head with a smile, "An adult? You're still my little baby girl."

"Yena, dear."Her mother called when she saw the look on her daughter's face, "Run to the market and pick up some things for dinner, won't you?"

Yena cleared her throat and nodded, "Sure, Wonho ar--"

"He can stay here, dear. It won't take the two of you." She said with a smile.

Wonho raised his brows and looked at Yena, "Mom, he might feel uncomfortable alone here."

"I'll be fine." He said while an unsure smile.

Yena looked at him cautiously before grabbing her jacket . She kissed her dad on the cheek and before she pulled away, he grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes.

"Make sure you look both ways before you cross the street."

\-----

Wonho loved his late parents.

They were his whole world and he used to have dreams of making enough money to let them retire early, to buy them a new house and car and to treat them out to dinner. 

He was a fool for his parents and he'd never switch them for anyone.

But Yena's mother was making it really hard to stay loyal to his.

She was sweet, kind, funny and talkative. She was a more vibrant version of Yena. She treated him like they were the same age and were friends forever who spent their whole lives together.

"She didn't even tell us about the attack until months later." Lia said quietly, "We didn't hear from her and we had no idea what happened on campus or that she was institutionalized for months. It was hard because that was the same year her father's dementia kicked in so we barely checked in on her. It wasn't until the school contacted us that we found out."

Wonho sat on the stool next to her as she stood in front of the sink, "That must've been so hard on your family."

"We weren't there for her when she needed family, love and support the most but Namjoon was. He helped her through the hardest time in her life. That's why we gave our blessing even without meeting him. We owed it to him." She said while snapping the ends of pea pods.

Wonho looked away, discerned at how many people felt like they owed Kim Namjoon.

"She was quieter, shyer, more scared, but she looked happier like there was change. Like she felt like she could make it one day at a time." She said gently. "And I would take any sign of happiness as a godsend. God, my girl is so strong. I wish I was a better mother for her."

Wonho said nothing and just watched the woman's fingers move without missing a beat.

"Have you met Namjoon?" She asked while tilting her head at the bowl.

Wonho bobbed his head, "Yeah, a few times."

"Is he a nice person?" Her voice was airy like she didn't care for the answer.

Wonho stayed silent for a second before answering in the nicest way he could muster that didn't involve him flat out swearing Namjoon out, "Full disclosure? Your daughter could do a lot better."

"A lot better, huh? Like you?" Her mother deadpanned.

He looked bewildered, sputtering for an answer but she just laughed, "I see how you look at her."

"I'm not going to make her life difficult, ma'am. She's with Namjoon, I respect that , no matter how I feel about him. And trust me, she deserves better than me too."

Her mom shook her head with a despondent sigh, "She's such an angel. She's too pure for this world."

\-----

"What…are you doing?" Yena worded out cautiously when she walked in with grocery bags.

Her footsteps came to a stuttering stop when she found half of Wonho's body laying in the cabinets under the sink while his legs splayed out onto the kitchen floor.

Yena's mother came in and clapped her hands, "He noticed the sink was leaking and offered to fix it. Look! He also helped me change the lightbulbs, the thermostat and he even fixed our car!" She gushed while fawning over him.

Yena fell speechless as she stared at Wonho's legs. He made no attempt to say anything and just continued to turn a wrench, tightening the pipes attached to the sink.

She shook her head in disbelief, "How long was I gone?"

"An hour." Her mother answered after checking the time. She took the bags from her and started to prep the rest of the meal.

When he was done, Wonho sat up with a grin and looked up at her, resting his arms on his knees. His hair was pushed off his forehead with sweat with a small smudge of grease on his cheek.

Yena stared at him in awe, "You did that all in an hour?"

"I'm that good." He said cheekily. 

Yena bit down on her lip to hold back her smile as he stood up and walked over to her. She instinctively reached up and used her thumb to wipe away the smudge, giving him the chance to soak in her features. 

"We need to tell your father!" Her mother exclaimed while washing some vegetables,

"Tell me what?"

They turned to see her father walk in with a cane. Yena dropped her hand and stepped away from Wonho as her father slowly scanned the kitchen. Wonho stiffened when he got a look of her father standing up. He was at least 6'3, muscular with tan skin, radiating intimidation, the cane doing nothing but making him look all the more terrifying.

"D-Dad, Wonho fixed your car. Did you hear that? Now you and mom can go out more especially when it's cold." Yena said happily.

Her heart caught when a small spark flickered in his eyes as he turned to Wonho who had been silent the whole time, "You did?"

"Yes, sir." Wonho said nervously. "I fixed the heater too, I heard this winter was supposed to be a bad one." 

There was a pause of silence before her father started to laugh. Wonho looked confused and when he turned to Yena and her mother, he froze when he saw how shocked they looked. Their eyes were wide and her mother even covered her lips with her hands as they watch him laugh.

He never laughed.

"You're doing a good job winning me over, son." Her father said with a clap of his hands. "Now I know why my little girl is marrying you."

Wonho felt his heart crush under an invisible fist when he heard Yena's shaky voice, "I'm not marrying him, dad. I'm marrying Namjoon."

"Who? I don't remember meeting a Namjoon." Her father said with a frown while patting Wonho on the back.

"You haven't met him, yet." She said tiredly.

"You're not marrying someone I never met. You're marrying this boy, right here." He said while smacking Wonho's shoulder playfully.

The tears grew as Yena looked away and Wonho felt guilt seep through his skin, "Excuse me." She breathed out before running out the door.

Her mother softened and squeezed her husband's shoulder, "Oh, love."

"I-I'll go after her." Wonho croaked out. her mother shooting him a grateful look as she pushed on her tippy toes to speak softly to her husband.

Wonho ran out the way he had seen Yena go and found her sitting on the porch, holding her head as she cried. He sat next to her and watched her cry, messy, devastated and painstakingly beautiful as she wiped her face.

She hiccupped between words, "I don't know how to help them. I don't know how to make it all stop. He doesn't remember anything. I can't do anything for them. I can't make it better. I don't know what to do."

Wonho wrapped his arm around her and did all but pull her into his lap as he cupped her head against his neck. He ran his fingers through her hair and hushed her with the soft lilt of his voice, "You're not always responsible to fix everything yourself. That burden is not on you."

"But they're my parents." She croaked out as she cowered her head against his chest and he instinctively pressed his lips to the top of her head, feeling desperate to give her any form of comfort and protection.

He nodded, "I know, Red." He said softly while rocking her back and forth, "I'm sorry."

Yena's mother came out in search for her daughter and stopped at the door to watch the way Wonho soothed and calmed her, rocking her gently as she curled up against him while crying. She looked like a little girl with the burden of the world pressing down on her and he looked like a little boy, shielding her from the weight that everyone else was too cowardly to take on.

And after years of failing to do it for her daughter herself, unable to care for her while also caring for her husband and forcing her little girl to grow up much too fast, Lia could only watch as someone took care of her child better than she could of. 

She knew, as a mother, that the scene in front of her wasn't right.

That an engaged woman should not look that comfortable and at home in the arms of another man.

But all she could do was close the glass door and pretend she hadn't seen a thing.

\-----

"So Wonho, tell us about yourself. Yena says you're a mechanic." Yena's mom prompted at dinner.

Her father chuckled, "No wonder you're such handy man. Good for my little girl."

Yena hadn't seen her father speak that lively in years and all it took was for Wonho to fix his car and he was on cloud 9. A part of her felt bitter that she could never bring that out of him herself.

"Your little girl isn't that little, sir."

Yena started choking on her water, coughing loudly as she glared at Wonho incredulously as the euphemisms started rolling around in her head.

"Excuse me?" Her father balked.

Wonho shrugged but kept her hands politely in his lap, "She's grown up, sir. She doesn't need a handyman or a protector or a guard dog. She knows how to take care of herself just fine."

"You wouldn't be saying that if you knew the hell she went through when she was in college." Her father said with a sigh while picking at his food.

Yena hung her head.

Of all the things that his memory held onto from the last 10 years, it was her attack. It was the only thing in his head that withstood the test of time.

Silence fell over the table as the memory hung over all of them. Wonho stared at Yena, the way her body looked drained of all her fighting spirit. He was seated across from her and stared at her for a moment longer before stretching his legs out and trapping hers in between his. Her eyes darted up when he tugged on her legs and was met with a small wink. She smiled slightly before looking back down at her plate.

"Wonho." Lia said while clearing her throat, "What about your parents? How are they?"

Yena's eyes widened as they shot up to Wonho whose entire body stopped moving as longing and nostalgic memories floated into his conscious, "They passed away when I was a teenager."

"O-Oh dear, I'm so sorry." Her mother said as she dropped her fork.

Wonho shook his head, "It's okay. It's not as hard to talk about now."

"How did they pass?" His father asked abruptly.

Wonho set his fork down and leaned back in his chair, "A car accident. The roads were wet. Slippery. They skidded through a red light because they couldn't stop in time and another car hit them."

He looked up when he felt Yena shake her legs out of his hold, he unhooked his ankles and let her free, but in that second, she trapped his legs between her ankles all without looking up from her plate.

"I'm sorry," Her father said thoughtfully.

Wonho smiled but didn't speak.

It was okay.

For some reason, in this setting, with these people, it was okay.

\------

"So…um…this."

Wonho and Yena stood in her small childhood bedroom after bidding their parents a good night they realized that sleeping would be a problem.

"You can take the bed and I'll take the floor?" He asked unsurely.

She nodded in agreement, "I'll bring you some extra blankets and stuff."

When she left, Wonho walked around her room, smiling at how innocent and adorable young Yena was with posters of singers and actors plastered over her walls. There were stuffed toys, stacks of books and CDs and pictures of her as a kid.

While inspecting her room, he noticed her window was cracked open. He pulled it open even further and stuck his head out to see a flat rooftop with a sturdy lip around the edge. Grabbing his jacket, he climbed through the window and sat on the roof, holding his jacket tightly around him before leaning flat on his back to stare at the sky.

Without the rush of city lights, the stars were clear, sparkling so brightly that they looked like they were from a picture in a textbook.

"Oh, there you are."

He tilted his head back and blinked at Yena who was sticking her head out of the window. He grinned and she stuck her leg out the window before climbing through while holding the blankets and pillows.

"Careful." He murmured as she tip-toed across the rooftop until she was next to him.

She set a pillow down and they both put their heads on it while spreading the blankets over themselves. "What are you doing out here?"

"I don't know. Just looked nice out." He said while propping his arm under his head.

She stayed silent before curling further under the blankets, "Thank you for everything today. For coming, for fixing stuff around the house, for putting up with the confusion and for making my dad smile."

"I didn't realize he had dementia until your mom told me." He said quietly.

Yena fell silent and stared at the sky, "It's a lot to handle. If I don't talk about it, I don't need to worry about it, but it's always in the back of my head. Doctors are saying that in 2 years he won't know his own name or recognize the rest of us."

Wonho fell silent as he connected the stars with his eyes.

Her ghosts were still around and his were in the past but still haunted him.

"Your parents really like calling you their little girl, don't they?" He asked.

She smiled slightly at the sky, "I think it's because my dad thinks I'm 16 sometimes, he used to always say that to me, I guess my mom is trying to play along."

"Maybe, but I have another theory."

She looked over at him while he continued to stare upwards, "Yeah?"

"I think your parents just want you to feel like their little girl. Their little girl who didn't have to worry about taking care of them or their health. A little girl who wasn't afraid of being around men or crowded areas. When you were 16 I bet you didn't have those worries. They were the ones that looked after you and they want to take you back to that time." He said thoughtfully.

Her lip trembled and she quickly bit down on it painfully. She wished she could just go back to that time when she was just a kid, "Just because they think it, doesn't mean it's true. I need to look out for them."

"I know you do." He whispered, "But a parent is never going to tell their kid that they need help or that they can't take care of themselves anymore. If you want to help them, you can't ask their permission because they'll never say yes."

She stared at his features, warm, soft, "I didn't know it was because of a car accident. Is that why you ride a motorcycle?"

"Something like that." He mumbled. "Cars just didn't appeal to me as much after they died."

She gulped and slowly reached down and slid her fingers down his palm before lacing their fingers together. Her cold digits sliding through his warm ones, both their temperatures melding together until it created a sensation so rare that it could probably never be recreated.

Wonho closed his eyes and held his breath while squeezing her hand tightly until he could feel her ring dig so harshly against his skin that he swore it probably cut flesh and drew blood.

He didn't care about the sting.

For once in his life pain didn't hurt.


	27. Chapter 27

Yena walked through the door the next night after Wonho dropped her off. She was beyond tired but a small spark of happiness flickered in her gut as she thought about her parents.

She couldn't forget the way her father looked at Wonho.

She wanted him to always look like that.

Happy.

And she had vowed that she would spend more time with her parents, even if that meant bringing Wonho along, just to see her dad smile.

She rubbed her eyes and rolled her neck while kicking her shoes off and dropping her duffle bag on the floor.

"Namjoon?" She called out when she noticed his shoes.

She looked up at the stairs and her lips turned down when she heard the floorboards creak under someone's weight. She walked up the stairs, looking around until she heard more shuffling around.

She frowned when she saw his door ajar, it was usually closed it and padded over to it before pushing it open a bit to peek inside. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw him hovering over his desk. 

Her lips parted and her hand started to shake as she watched Namjoon press down on one of his nostrils before leaning over his table where three lines of white powder were laid out. Horror filled her as she watched him hold a small paper roll and inhale the powder with an animalistic growl. She took a step back and watched him lift his head and rub his nose as he growled inwards.

She covered her mouth as memories of Namjoon rubbing his nose every time he came out of the bathroom or out of his office flashed in front of her eyes.

He was coked up.

He had _always_ been coked up, hasn't he? When he kept leaving to use the bathroom when they were planning their wedding with his mom in the _same fucking room,_ he was probably getting his fix.

She couldn't believe this. 

This was how he made it through all the crazy hours where it felt like he had never slept, this was how he always seemed one step ahead of her and seemed able to have his mind on 10 different things at once. 

How long as he been doing this? How long had she not noticed the spaced out, dilated look in his eyes? 

How could she not have known? 

Namjoon started pacing around, shaking his fists as he bounced on his heels.

She was going to marry a drug addict? 

Yena shifted her weight on her heel, making the floor creak. Namjoon's eyes shot to the door and Yena felt her heart jump up her throat. She quickly turned on her heels and raced back down the stair on her tippy toes until she got to the front door. She shoved her feet into her shoes and held her cell phone to her ear before pretending to take off her shoes.

"Yeah, I just got back, Hyerin, I'll call you later." She faked before hanging up.

She looked up and met Namjoon's dark, eyes, she looked at his hand and felt sick at the way he was twitching.

"How was the trip?"

She slid her phone into her pocket and ran her eyes down his frame before stepping away, "It was okay."

"I was thinking that maybe we should go out for dinner." He offered while slipping his hands into his pockets.

Yena's eyes spotted the infamous white dust on his collar and quickly averted her eyes, "Are you sure that's a good idea? It's late."

"I wanted to welcome you back home." He said, his voice kind and cheerful.

Yena flinched when he neared and went completely still when he reached out to touch her cheek, "Why don't you go put on something nice and we'll go for dinner?"

"I-I'm not sure I'm really up for going out." She lied, trying to hide her shaking voice, "The flight was draining. I'm tired."

Namjoon stepped closer to her, his aura going from kind to dark and intimidating in a second, "I'm not asking you, darling. Now go and get changed, I've already picked out your outfit for you."

\-----

He was being a gentleman.

It didn't make any sense to her as she sat across from him in a dress that was too stiff and too uncomfortable. He smiled and asked her about her trip and her parents and actually taking a vested interest in her day.

And not _once_ did he say anything that made her feel like he normally did. 

Everything he did, every smile, every touch, every word, just bounced off of her, leaving no impact whatsoever. She was just tired and worn out and desperately wanted to fall asleep.

She did not want to sit in a stuck restaurant eating food that came in portions far too small.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" He asked when he saw her resting her cheek on her palm while pushing food around with her fork.

She wanted to laugh, did he not see the way she was acting? She was practically falling asleep at the table and all of the conversations were one-sided, he may as well be talking to himself.

"Yes." She muttered while picking at her food. It wasn't like she could say no.

"Excuse me." He said before standing up and walking to the bathroom.

That was the 5th time since they got there and she knew exactly was he was doing.

In the past, she might've felt bad and assumed he wasn't feeling well.

How could she be so blind?

"Oh, Yena! I haven't seen you around the club!"

Yena lifted her head and grimaced when Mina stood by the table with her husband. Mina giggled, "Sorry, I meant _country_ club. I'm sure you keep making your appearances at the other type of clubs."

"It's always a pleasure to see you, Mina." Yena muttered with a fake smile, ignoring the jab with professional ignorance.

"Where's Namjoon?" Her husband asked.

"Right here." Namjoon said as he took his seat.

Yena's let out a sigh when she saw him rub his nose erratically, he was so obvious and she must've been so dumb all this time. She glanced up at Mina's husband and saw the look of recognition wash over his face before he frantically glanced up at the bathroom in which Namjoon had just come from with what looked like a hint of jealousy.

Oh.

Apparently Namjoon wasn't the only one who dabbled in _extracurriculars._

God, she was just as blind and delusional as Mina.

She actually thought that Namjoon was a decent person just because he didn't cheat on her, she thought he was different, but he was still a piece of shit. He was just as corrupt as every other man that he knew and she was just as pathetic as the women that hung around them. She was so caught up trying to create a fantasy romance for them in her head that she was turning a blind eye to everything that was wrong with him. 

She wondered what else she missed about him.

"How are you two?" Namjoon asked amicably.

Mina waved her hand, "Fine! We just wanted to check up on you guys, The gala was Yena's first appearance since the scandal, it must be hard."

"W--"

"We're getting by just fine." Yena said through her teeth while shooting her a sickly smile.

Namjoon shot Yena a look but she pretended to ignore it.

"What did your little school have to say about it?" Her husband asked in, what seemed to be, honest curiosity.

Namjoon cleared his throat, "I managed to _persuade_ them into letting her off with a warning."

"Ah, Yena you must feel so lucky to have Namjoon looking after you like that." Her husband said.

Yena smiled weakly as Mina tapped her lip, "Speaking of, who was that dashing young gentleman you were dancing with at the gala? We were all surprised to see her with another man. The gala isn't exactly like those clubs you frequent."

"He's a close friend to the family." Namjoon said with ease before standing up. "We should get going, it's late. Come on, darling."

Yena stood up dutifully before trailing after him, bowing to them and walking away. 

She saw him reach for her hand when they were walking back to the car and she was quick to slip her hands into her pockets, pretending she hadn't seen his attempt. It didn't matter what he tried or how differently he was acting, all she could see was him snorting up in his office.

"So…you never told me how you met Wonho." Namjoon brought up as he drove them back to their house.

That was something that she did notice.

He kept bringing Wonho's name whenever he could throughout the whole night. At first, it was casual, asking about Wonho appearing at the gala or if she had seen him at all that day, but then they started to get more invasive like he was looking for something and he thought she had the answer.

In fact, after asking about her day, they had spent the rest of dinner talking about Wonho.

She shrugged and lied, "Through Shownu."

"What does Wonho talk to you about?" He asked .

She frowned and shrugged again, "Just random stuff, nothing special."

"Did he know you were engaged?" He fired at her.

She tried to stayed unfazed through his interrogation, "Yes, since the first day we met."

"Did he know it was to me?" He asked.

She fisted her hands in her lap, "Not until you two saw each other."

"Did he ever say anything about me or how he knows me after that night? Maybe about when we were younger?" He listed off questions but they were going straight over Yena's head. She was barely paying attention.

"Not really." She said half-heartedly. 

A scowl started to form on his lip, "Not really? What does that mean? So he _has_ mentioned me? What did he say?"

Her eyebrow twitched in annoyance, "Nothing. He never talks about you, he couldn't care less about you."

"Don't raise your voice at me." Namjoon muttered under his breath. Yena rolled her eyes and Namjoon screeched the car to a stop. "Don't give me attitude and don't fucking roll your eyes at me. I was just asking you a damn question."

She scoffed and crossed her arms, "Yeah, about Wonho. Why do you care so much about what he does or says to me?"

"Because how he is around you might affect my own reputation." He replied evenly.

She furrowed her brows, "How?"

"It's none of your business. How long have you two even been hanging out?" He questioned.

"Can you just stop asking about Wonho?" She snapped, her voice coming down like a whip.

Namjoon's eye twitched, "You have no right to talk to me like that. You're the one that was sneaking around with him behind my back. I deserve to know what is going on with you two."

"Nothing's going on and you know it. You're just trying to get me to give you information about him. Why does that matter? I thought you didn't care about him." She exclaimed.

Namjoon shook his head. "I just want to make sure he isn't trying to brainwash you. I told you about my ex-girlfriend, I'm pretty sure he's cozying up to you to try to get revenge."

"He didn't even know you knew me until a week ago." She muttered.

Namjoon quirked a brow, "How are you so sure? He's a good actor. He's just brainwashing you."

She snorted before she could stop herself, "I don't think he's the one trying to brainwash me."

"Is there something you want to say to me?" He snarled while keeping his eyes forward.

She looked away, falling silent as she repressed the urge to lash out. Namjoon grinned triumphantly as he rolled his window down to let the cold air into the car.

"I just want to know more about your friend." Namjoon smirked, a look that Yena caught, "Shin Wonho, what's he like? How are his friends?"

She shrugged, "I haven't met them aside from Shownu. "

"Wow, you've known him for so long and he's not letting you meet his friends? I wonder what else he's hiding. " Namjoon said condescendingly, "Is he still a garage rat?"

"If you want to know so much about Wonho, then just go to him and ask him face to face, _like a man_. Stop being a coward and trying to pump information out of me!" She yelled in an abrupt fit of anger.

The car screeched to a stop and Yena's whole body jerked forward against the seat belt. She let out a soft cry of pain as Namjoon's body shook with rage.

"Get out." He hissed through his teeth.

Yena stared at him incredulously, "Excuse me?"

"Get out of the car." He roared.

"Are you seriously? Namjoon, we're in the middle of the road. It's 1AM." She balked. "How am I supposed to get home?"

His fingers tightened around the wheel, his jaw set, "If you're going to act like such an ungrateful bitch, you should get out and walk. You should've thought about how you'd get home before you talked to me like that. You're in this car because of me and I can kick you out too. Without me you would still be in that hospital, being carted around by nurses."

"So you're punishing me for standing up for myself?" She said with a scoff.

His eyes were dilated and she wondered how much cocaine was in his system. "I'm punishing you for disrespecting me."

"How was I dis--"

"Either apologize or get the fuck out." His voice left no room for arguments.

She stared at him in disbelief and as much as she wanted to snap back at him, she could see his anger growing and she didn't want to be in a confined space with when he finally snapped. She unclipped her seatbelt off and reached for the door, pushing it open before stepping out. She made sure to slam the door exceptionally loudly as she glared at him through the window.

She didn't expect much from him in terms of kindness but she didn't expect for him to actually drive off without and without even glancing back at her.

Watching desolately, the lights on the car faded off in the distance until there was nothing but darkness. She hugged herself and looked around, trying to figure out where she was until she spotted something at the corner of the intersection.

If he was going to ruin her day she might as well make good of the night.

\-----

Wonho groaned, sleep thick on his eyes when he heard his phone ringing loudly. He was totally wiped when he got home, a long plane and bus ride had him longing to just crash in bed and not wake up until he was fully recharged.

The clock said it was 1 AM.

He rolled over and blindly swung his arm at his bedside table until he found his phone. He answered it with his eyes closed, hoping he could go back to sleep.

"Hello?"

There was a pause of silence before loud rustling hit his ear and then he heard it.

She sighed.

Another loud groan left his lips but this time, it wasn't out of frustration, "Yena?"

"Come and get me." She breathed out.

He peeled his eyes open and stared at the ceiling as his skin flickered with licks of flames. "Ye-"

"How?" She croaked out.

He rubbed his face, trying to wake himself up, "How what?"

"How do I miss you so _fucking_ much?" She growled angrily.

He sat up, this was the first time he had ever heard her swear, she sounded so angry, so fed up and so _incredibly powerful_.

Combing his hand through his hair, he tugged on the strands, making his scalp burn as he tried to calm himself down, "Yena…where are you?"

"I don't know." She mumbled. "Drunk somewhere."

That made more sense.

He shook his head and pushed the covers off his body before stumbling towards his closet. "Where's Namjoon? Is he with you?"

"He left me on the side of the road after di--what was that noise?" She asked him, sitting up.

He cleared his throat, pretending he didn't slam his fist into the wall at the fact that Namjoon left his fiancée on the side of the road at 1 AM, "Nothing. It's fine. Where are you drinking?"

"At-at one of those tent bar things on the side of the road." She murmured as if she was talking to herself.

He threw open his closet doors and pulled out a sweater before pulling it over his head, "Look around, Red. Is there a sign or a business card?"

She hummed, her voice groggy and warm, "There's a menu."

"Alright, pretty lady." He murmured while looking for his wallet in the dark. "Is there an address on that menu?"

"Pretty lady." She said instead, "You _always_ call me pretty or beautiful or -- it's downtown. Near the highway off of the exit ramp."

Wonho pulled his door open and top toed across the living room before searching the key bowl for Shownu's keys, "Alright, I'm coming to get you, just stay on the line, okay?"

"Mmmhmm. Thank you." She slurred softly.

Wonho smiled as he put his shoes on, "You know, you're not just beautiful, Red. It's just a lot easier to say than telling you all the _real_ things I like about you."

"Thank you." She repeated incoherently.

Wonho reached for the door until he heard a soft voice calling to him, "You're going to see her?"

He turned to see Hyungwon standing in front of his room, watching him.

"Yeah." Wonho said quietly.

Hyungwon stared at him intensely before turning to his room, "Make sure she's safe."

\-----

After keeping her on speaker the whole car ride, Wonho finally pulled up to the bar tent and spotted her staring aimlessly at the table with two empty bottles in front of her.

"Hey there, heavyweight." Wonho said as he stood next to her.

She tilted her head up at him before smiling brightly, "You're heeerrreee!"

"I'm here and we should go." He said with a laugh as he helped her up.

She tossed some bills on the table and bowed deeply to the owner before staggering over to the car. Once she was strapped in, Wonho got into the driver's seat and rolled down Yena's side window and drove her to his house with music softly playing in the background.

She was silent for the most part and he didn't bother asking her why her dick of a fiancé left her on the side of the road until she sat up with a start, "Stop the car, please."

"W-What? We're in the middle of the street." He balked as he looked at the empty road.

Yena shook her head and tried to open the door, but it was locked. "Please." She muttered.

Wonho pulled over to the side of the road and blinked at Yena as she raised the volume on the radio and kicked the door open before stumbling out. Wonho froze in his seat as Yena stood in front of the car, the headlights hitting her harshly with a lethal look in her eyes.

The song on the radio changed and Yena's body started to move, swaying, as her hips started to roll and her fingers running through her hair before she raised them in the air. His eyes started to raked over her frame before he leaned his forehead on the wheel.

Why was she being like this?

Why was she being so _fucking_ difficult and intoxicating?

Having enough, he got out of the car and walked over to her, "Alright, Red, let's get you home."

She flipped her hair and pulled him close, making him stumble forward in surprise, "Dance with me." She whispered against his skin.

"God." He breathed out as she bumped their noses together with purpose. "I want to." He muttered. "Fuck, I'd love nothing more than to dance with you in the middle of the street looking…perfect but we need to go."

She groaned but let him lead her to the car again.

He was going to go out of his fucking mind at this rate.

"Okay." He breathed out to himself before he started driving against. Silence started again until he noticed Yena staring at her wedding ring with masked look in her eyes.

He watched her for a moment before looking back at the road, "Are you okay? Do you want to stop at a coffee place and sober up before you head home?"

"I'm okay." She muttered laughing, "Actually, no. I'm not okay. My life is basically an entire sham and it's falling apart."

His brows knit as his fingers dug into the wheel, "Do you even want me to take you home?"

"It's cold there." She whispered, catching his attention. "It's cold and there's no love, I don't think."

He rolled to a stop when the light turned red and watched her glassy eyes stare out at the road. "I'm scared to go home. I'm scared of him. I'm scared of who I've become. I'm not who I used to be, it's all so foreign, even after all these years. And I'm not used to the cold."

She rolled her head and faced him. her eyes darted around his face that was staring at her so intently like he was consumed with every word that left her mouth, like all his attention was given to her.

She reached out and mindlessly, thoughtlessly and drunkenly brushed her fingers through his hair. "But it's so warm here."

"Do you want to spend the night?" He asked quietly, masking the way his voice trembled in need.

She licked her lips as she stared at him. "Yes." She whispered.

He exhaled, his body strangle dotted with goose bumps until she continued speaking, "But I can't. I need to go back."

"No, you don't. You don't need to do anything you don't want to."

She looked down at her lap, "I know, but it'll just cause more problems if I'm not there. He'll get mad."

"Maybe we should pull ov--"

"You're right. I think he's been grooming me. I know he doesn't love me and never will." She croaked out. "I don't think I ever loved him either. It was dependence like you said. He just uses me."

He shook his head, "Just come home with me, Red."

"It'll only make it worse." She mumbled while looking at her lap, "I can handle a lot but I just can't handle him…the way that he is right now."

Meaning, she couldn't handle him when he was probably high. She wouldn't be able to predict his reaction and prepare for his wrath.

The car behind them honked when they stayed stationary when the light changed green so Wonho just sighed and pressed down on the peddle, driving her home.

\-----

This was the first time Wonho pulled up to Yena's house.

He had coaxed her into giving him her address because no matter how much he wanted to avoid Namjoon's face, he wasn't going to let her walk home drunk, even if it was a 2 minute walk.

Their house was big, extravagant and left a bitter taste in Wonho's mouth as he waited for Yena to undo her belt.

"You used to be my escape from Namjoon, whenever I just needed to get away from that suffocation." She said suddenly instead of taking her belt off.

He blinked at her abrupt comment before frowning, "Used to?"

"I don't know, I just know that now you're so much more than that to me. I'm just sorry I can't express it better." She said quietly with a shrug.

Wonho fell quiet, silent as he melted under the tone in her voice. She sounded so apologetic like she knew that he was falling for her while she was with someone else. Like she wanted to reciprocate his sentiment but not under these circumstances, "You're really coherent for a drunk."

"Yeah." She said with a laugh. She shook her head like she was trying to forget something before opening the door. "Thank you for picking me up."

He smiled slightly, "Of course."

Yena closed her eyes as she walked to her door and wondered to herself how it would feel to have Wonho follow her inside. 


	28. Chapter 28

Life changing things typically only happen when you're not expecting them.

Because once you expect them, you prepare your life for impact and then it's not life changing anymore.

"Where have you been?"

Yena hissed when the loud voice rocketed around in her head, making her vision spin as she tried to fight against the alcohol. She turned and glared at Namjoon tipsily, "Can you shut up for like, one second, Namjoon? Jesus fucking Christ."

"What the fuck did you just say to me?" He growled while stalking up to her.

She pressed her fingers against her temples, feeling her vision sway, and tried to walk past him but he grabbed her arm.

"I'm talking to you, where the hell do you think you're going?"

She ripped her arm out of his grip, "I'm tired, leave me alone."

"Are you drunk?" He balked when he smelled the booze on her.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Why do you care?"

"I'm trying to find out where my fucking _wife_ went for nearly an hour." He snapped at her.

She scoffed and stared up at him, "How is that my problem? Wife? Fuck you, you don't treat me like a fucking wife. You're the one who left me on the side of the FUCKING ROAD!" She screamed while pushing him back by the chest.

He stumbled back, shock evident in his face at her sudden brazen behavior.

She panted while storming up to him and shoving him back again before he could regain his composure, "You left me alone like a bag of trash in the middle of an abandoned road at 1AM when you _know_ that I'm still traumatized by what happened before. You're a fucking sociopath." 

He shoved her hands away, the vein in his forehead throbbing as anger was about to boil over, "You brought that one yourself, I gave you the option to stay, you chose to get out of the car. If you weren't being a bitch, I wouldn't have had to make you get out. You can't blame me for that."

She came back in his face, shoving his chest back tipsily with her hands.

"No. I can absolutely blame you for that because you're not the saintly angel you want to paint yourself to be. You're just a bully who thinks that if he gets inside someone's head and turn their biggest weakness against them, that you can control them. You take and take and take because you’re an entitled little _bitch_ who never heard the word _no_ before. That's right, I called you a bitch, doesn't feel good does it? How the fuck do you think I feel when you spit it at me every single day?" She roared with glassy eyes. She all but spat in his face.

"Shut up." His voice quivered with fury.

She laughed, oblivious to how fast Namjoon was breathing or how his hands turned into fists as repressed rage started to build, "You think I'm stupid? That I don't know that you groom me? That you use my past to force me to do whatever you want? You say I'm in debt to you, that I owe you, that without you I'd be nothing because you wanted me to feel so guilt ridden that I'd do anything for you. You thought you were smarter than me, but you're just a joke."

His eye twitched as he neared her, "Just shut the fuck up."

She felt herself sway but there was a fire burning in her that she couldn't extinguish, "I don't owe you jack shit. I'm grateful that you found me that night and talked to me when no one else did but I _cannot_ spend the rest of life paying you back the way that you want. I already spent years wanting to pay you back by wearing what you wanted, talking how you wanted and acting like how you wanted. But I paid my debt, I'm done letting you push me around."

She was about to walk away before she turned back and pointed at him, "By the way, that's not why normal people help someone, They don't do it to control and manipulate someone they're supposed to love into doing whatever they want. But you're not normal, are you? You're a pathetic little lap dog that acts like he's a big and powerful CEO but he's really just daddy's little _bitch."_

She didn't know what happened.

One minute she was tipsy, yelling in his face, pushing him back, and the next minute she was sprawled out on the ground with a searing pain throbbing on her cheek with a resounding _crack_ echoing through the silent house. Yena hissed and touched her cheek before lifting her head up.

Namjoon stared down at her with eyes as black as coal, "Look what you made me do." He breathed out darkly.

Yena could only stare at him in disbelief.

Did he actually just hit her?

No, that didn't make sense.

That didn't happen.

He would yell, throw things and shove her but he never _ever_ hit her.

She couldn't believe it, everything felt so surreal and her stomach churned disgustingly. It was just a bad, bad, nightmare. 

She was immobilized as the reality tried to sink in, but she was blocking it out. Because Namjoon was a lot of things, but he was never violent. She would never be with a violent man, she was smart enough then to lock herself up with another abuser.

She was smarter.

So it had to be a mistake.

She couldn't even remember seeing him raise his hand.

She must've just fell and hit her face because she was too tipsy.

Yeah, that had to be it.

She placed her palms on the ground and tried to push herself up, but Namjoon just shoved her back on the ground, making her groan when she fell on her elbows.

"I'm going to let this one go because you're drunk." He grumbled out, "But don't _ever_ talk to me like that again or I swear to God, there is nothing stopping me from repeating what just happened."

He turned, about to walk away, before looking over his shoulder at her, "Go shower and get cleaned up. Wash the smell of booze off yourself, you look like a pathetic mess."

\-----

"Good morning, darling. Do you need a ride to work?"

Yena froze by the stairs that morning when she saw Namjoon standing by the front door with two mugs of coffee in his hands.

What the hell?

He was like a brand new man, cheerful with a loving smile on his lips. he always did this, whenever he lashed out to the extreme and scared her, he'd turn around the next morning and be all smiles and cute pet names. He'd use his change in personality to make her forget what he did because the old Yena would feel so honored that the great Namjoon was looking at her like that, that she'd turn a blind eye to all his misgivings. 

He was like clockwork.

And it made her wonder what drug he was on this time. 

She barely remembered how she made it out of the shower and into bed the night before. It all felt like a blur, but when she felt her cheek sting that morning with a darkish shade, she knew it wasn't just a drunken dream.

He left his print on her.

"N-No." She cleared her throat, "No, I'm fine, thank you."

He handed her the cup of coffee and smiled, "You know why last night happened right?"

"N-Not really." She muttered.

He smiled, unphazed, "All that matters is that we forget the past and just move forward. Last night was hard on both of us, we were stressed. Hopefully, we can let that go and even more so, I hope you won't cause for a repeat of last night either. Fair?"

Yena said nothing when he squeezed her shoulder before finishing his coffee and setting it down. He pulled his keys out and turned to the door.

Just as he left, she poured her coffee into the fern that was placed decoratively next to the door and got ready for work.

\-----

"Hey, hun, how are you? I haven't seen you around as much." Hyerin called out when she saw Yena at the end of the school day.

Yena didn't even try to plaster on a smile as she tilted her head to cover the discolouration on her cheek, "I'm good, just marking papers, you know how it is Air--Hye--what do I call you now?"

"Hyerin." She said with a laugh, "Everyone knows now, so there's no point in hiding it."

Yena pursed her lips, "Why did you expose your real identity if you didn't want people to know?"

"Oh…" Hyerin's smile fell, how exactly do you tell your best friend that her fiancé leaked pictures with the intent to ruin lives and careers? "I was just sick of pretending."

Yena nodded and focused her attention on packing her bag when she suddenly stiffened. Hyerin had brushed her hair back to reveal the splotchy marks she had tried to hide, "What happened?"

Brushing her hand off, Yena smiled lightly, "I walked into a wall last night when I was texting, I was looking where I was going. Clumsy."

"I see…" Hyerin said softly, "Did you ice it?"

Yena tucked her lips into her mouth and nodded, "Mmmhmm."

"Did you tell Namjoon about it? Did you get some ointment? Maybe we should go to a doctor, did you get it checked out? I can't believe you got that bruise from walking into a wall, did it hurt? How did hard did you hit the wall? Ho--"

"God, can you stop asking me so many questions!" Yena burst out while slamming her bag down.

Hyerin flinched and stared at Yena with wide eyes as she took a shaky step back. Guilt filled Yena as she closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down but her body was shaking. She was lucky that she had people who cared enough to get worked up over a barely noticeable bruise on her cheek.

She was falling apart.

"I-I'm sorry." Yena whimpered as tears filled her eyes. "I-I'm just stressed out. A-And when you asked me so many questions, it's just…it's just overwhelming."

Hyerin nodded and carefully wrapped her arms around Yena, not voicing out her concerns or questions when the woman broke down sobbing in her arms.

\-----

"Where are you going?" Namjoon asked when he saw Yena put on her shoes.

She glanced at him from the side of her eye, ignoring the new vase of flowers he had gifting her under the excuse of _just thinking about you._ He was acting like last night didn't happen but she remembered it clear as day.

She didn't realize a man's guilt had a price on it.

And she didn't realize that Namjoon's price was so a bouquet of _pink_ flowers. 

She tried not to vomit.

She looked down before tying the laces, "Out." She bit out.

"Are you going to see him?"

Yena didn't bother validating him with an answer and just walked out the door, making sure to slam it behind her.

\-----

"Hey, little Red. How's the hangover?" Wonho called out with a smile when he saw Yena walking towards him.

Yena just closed her eyes and continued walking towards him until her face bumped into his chest. Wonho blinked at her before running his fingers through her hair. She didn't hug him, she kept her hands in her pockets and just rested her face against his chest.

"How was your day?" He asked simply.

She winced and scrunched her brows up, "I yelled at Hyerin today."

Wonho frowned, his fingers still in her hair, "Why?"

"For no reason. She didn't do anything wrong, I felt horrible." She mumbled.

He hummed and pulled her away, "Did you tell her that?"

Yena nodded and looked away as she chewed on the inside of her cheek in question. Wonho's brows twitched before he reached out and gently grazed her swollen cheek.

"What happened?" He muttered lowly.

She flinched and tilted her face away before stepping back, "I hurt myself on accident."

"On accident." He repeated with a frown as he tried to believe her lie.

He looked at his feet for a moment before slowly moving her eyes up, "Um…do you remember when I was talking to my friend the other day and we talked about emotional abuse? I showed you that list of side effects?"

"Yeah. Why?" She asked while moving her hair to cover her face as they started to walk.

"I sort of brought up what happened to you to my friend and said that with everything that's happened, you might be in an emotionally abusive relationship." He said timidly, glancing at her from the side of her eye to gauge her reaction. "They can sometimes turn violent."

Yena stopped in her tracks and stared up at him with hardened eyes, "You _told_ someone about me? A-About what happened to me in college?"

He reached out for her, "Re--"

"No!" She snapped while slapping his hand away, "You had no right to reveal my past to someone. I trusted you with that information. We built that whole thing on _trusting_ each other. I told you that the only reason I came clean was because I trusted you. This isn't trust. I never told a _single_ soul about Gunhee because I knew it was hard for you to come clean to me, why couldn't you do the same for me?"

Wonho gulped and fought back weakly, "I just wanted to hear another perspective."

"Of what?" She asked incredulously, "You wanted to know if I was in an abusive relationship? Because apparently that's somehow your business now?"

"I just wanted to see if he had ano--"

"He?" She muttered until realization dawned on her, "You told Shownu?"

"Ye--"

She shook her head as she tried to make sense of it while holding her hands out, "You told your best friend and my best friend's boyfriend that I was raped?"

"It started out hypothetical, just me throwing around a scenario, but when he found out that I knew you, he put it together." Wonho explained meekly.

Yena nodded slowly but her eyes were frozen shut, "And you did this all because you wanted to know if I was getting 'emotionally abused'? And instead of outright asking me, you asked someone else and then you tried to trick me into it by giving me that list of symptoms."

"I wasn't trying to trick you." Wonho explained desperately, "I just knew it was a sensitive subject and I knew you might lock up, so I wanted to make sure I was right before I brought it up."

"You told him that I was raped!" She yelled as tears filled her eyes. "Do you know how long I'm been trying to keep that I secret? Do you know how hard I worked, trying to make sure no one knew so that I could make a fresh start? I've spent the last years of my life trying to forget it ever happened and you told the people closest to me? If I wanted him or anyone else to know, don't you think I would've told them? Why on earth would you think it would okay to tell him that?" 

Wonho's eyes were shaking as he tried to reach for her, "I didn't know he'd find out. I was just looking out for you."

"I'm tired." She hissed through her teeth, "I'm tired of people thinking that they know what's best for me better than I do. I'm tired of people acting like they know me better than I do, like because I was raped that I have no intuition over myself. I was a _victim_ , but not anymore and I'm sick and tired of people acting like I still am."

She looked at him and he felt his heart weigh down when he saw how desolate and weary she looked. Her eyes looked eroded away as if she was moments away from giving up on everything. 

"I'm tired of people acting one way and then going behind my back and acting however the hell they want with _no_ regard to how I might feel because I've been living that for the last 6 years of my life. You know me, Wonho, you know me better than half the people currently in my life, but you still don't know who I am or what my life is like or what I've gone through." 

"I can't fathom your pain but that doesn't mean I'm blind to it. I'm not trying to help you fix your life or give you a solution to all your problems, I'm not trying to tell you that I know what's best for you because I don't. Only you do. I just…fuck, I just care about you so damn much. "

Yena looked at him with heartbreak in her eyes and tears threatening down her cheeks, "Do you know how hard it is to have the people you love try to dissect your life and dig and pry without your knowledge? Do you know how suffocating and terrifying that is? Like you can't be yourself around them because you know they're trying to figure out if you're acting differently or if something's wrong with you."

"I'm not trying to suffocate you." He said firmly with a solid shake of his head.

She closed her eyes and sighed helplessly, "I know you're not _trying_ to, but that doesn't mean that you're not. You can't tell me all the things that are wrong with my life and just expect me to say _oh, okay, you're right, I'm fucked up, I'll fix that_."

"If you're happy, then I have no right to say anything, but honestly? I don't think you know what it's like to be _truly_ happy. I don’t think you know what happiness even is and I don't think you'll ever know until you leave that bastard. But that's just what I think." Wonho said breathlessly, his own hands trembling as if it hand nothing to hold on to.

She shook her head and let out a sad laugh, "No, see? You still don't understand. You keep doing this. You keep telling me what to do and you keep telling me about my own life but you mask it under this guise of _I'm just giving you my opinion,_ even though I never asked for it. Maybe I _am_ a little fucked up, Wonho. Maybe my life is unhealthy and broken but I want to figure it and myself out on my own. I don't need you breathing down my neck, waiting for me to make the 'right' decision."

"I-I'm sorry."

She nodded with a weak smile that broke his heart, "It's not your fault, Wonho, but it's also not your problem, it's mine. And I just want space to figure my stuff out on my own."

"W-What does that mean?" His voice cracked as he watched her break down and build herself back up.

"I don't know, Wonho." She breathed out, "God, I don't know. I-I should go, coming out today was a bad idea."

"O-Okay." His voice cracked as he watched her turn around and walk away with her head hung low.

His heart coated in guilt and even though he could still see her, he already missed her.

He knew he crossed the line, pushing her to understand something that he thought he knew all about. He looked at his feet and let out a dry laugh before digging a cigarette out of his pocket and lighting it before placing it between his lips. 

He just went back on his own philosophy.

You can't fix someone easily.

It didn't take a few meaningful words to make someone change their entire life, he knew that first hand and yet he still tried to fix her, tried to put together the pieces of her life that he had no right touching.

She didn't ask for his help but he shoved it on her anyways.

Maybe this was his rude awakening.

He didn't plan on meddling but _fuck_ he loved her so much.

He let out a cynical laugh while blowing a stream of smoke out of his lips, he was hopeless. He felt bad for his friends. He was heartbroken after knowing this woman's story after for a few months.

How would his friends have felt knowing him for decades?

\-----

"Hey."

Wonho looked up from his bed to see Hyungwon at his door. "You came home early tonight…and smelling like smoke. Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine." Wonho said quietly before closing his eyes again.

Hyungwon closed the door behind him before walking over to his friend's bed and sitting on the edge.

"Did you go to see Yena?" Hyungwon asked.

Wonho grunted in response, trying to fall asleep.

"Is that why you're…upset?" He mumbled, not wanting to translate 'upset' into 'smoking like a dragon'.

Wonho fisted his hands as tears glazed his eyes, "I think _he_ hit her."

Hyungwon's eyes widened and he opened his mouth but nothing came out as he tried to find the right thing to say. 

Hyungwon couldn't say he was surprised. Violence wasn't above someone like Namjoon.

"Yo-You need to tell someone. You need to call the cops." 

"She doesn't want my help." He said quietly before sitting up, "She's…she's blocking me out when I tried to tell her that he's hurting her in more ways than one."

Hyungwon nodded, "Are you surprised? If the way he treats her is true, I don't think having people learn about the dark sides of her fairytale life is something she's used to. She probably hates being confronted with the idea that she was abused twice in her life."

"I know but he fucking hit her!" Wonho boomed, slamming his fist against the bed, "It's not her fault so why doesn't she just leave him? Why can't she see that there is something seriously wrong with their relationship?"

Hyungwon scoffed, "What makes you so sure that she hasn't already realized that something is seriously wrong with it?"

"Then why would she stay?" Wonho asked incredulously.

Hyungwon didn't hesitate, "Why did you keep cutting even after Shownu cried and begged you to stop?"

"That's not fair." Wonho growled.

Hyungwon snorted, "It's not? Just because you inflicted pain on yourself means that the way you reacted is more justified than someone who had pain inflicted on them by someone else?"

"No, of course not. " Wonho said defensively.

Hyungwon rubbed his face, "Listen, you stopped cutting for yourself and left home because you wanted to make that change not because we asked you or because we made you. You reached that point where you realized you didn't want to die, but it's not like you came to that decision because we kept telling you to."

"So what? I should wait until she's on the brink of death before helping her?" Wonho snapped.

Hyungwon just shrugged, "Maybe you can't fix her or her problems and maybe you were wrong for trying, but I don't think that means that you can't be there for her." He looked down, his voice thick with unshed tears, "It wasn't easy for us to see you suffer but we knew you'd have brighter days if we just stuck with you and supported you the best we could. We stopped asking you to change and trusted you. I think she needs you to believe in her. Believe that she can do it herself and trust that she'd find better days on her own."

"Is that why you guys stuck around me?" Wonho rasped out.

He nodded. "After a while, we realized that it's not our job to push you to stop. It wasn't our life, it was yours, we couldn't _make_ you do anything and if we tried, we'd just be pushing you away. You had to figure out when and how to stop on your own. All we could do is watch over you and make sure we caught you before you fell and look at you now."

"What's so great about me now?" Wonho asked with a sardonic laugh.

"I'd like to think you turned out pretty well."

\-----

"You're home earlier than I expected." 

Yena glanced up at Namjoon before kicking her shoes off. She didn't bother giving him an answer and just headed for the stairs. She was tired and sick of herself. 

"Is everything all right? Did you go see him?" 

"It was fine. We just didn't talk for long tonight." She muttered with sadness and longing painted blatantly over her features. 

Namjoon tilted his head, "Did you two get in a fight?"

"No." She said quickly. "I'm tired, I'm going to go to bed." 

Namjoon nodded with a knowing smirk, "You know, if you two are in a fight, then maybe you should just take a break from seeing him." 

Yena stared at him, trying to decipher the look in his eyes as he spoke. She could see a glitter, almost of amusement pass by as his lips hitched up. 

Was he...was he happy that she was upset?

Was he happy at the thought that she and Wonho got into a fight?

Yena swallowed the bile in her throat and started walking back up the stairs. 

"Good night." 


	29. Chapter 29

"You look like hell."

Wonho's brow twitched as he looked up at LP who was watching him from the other side of the car he was working on.

"Fuck you."

LP took no offense and just tapped his lip, "Are you not getting laid anymore?"

The red head squealed and ducked when Wonho threw a screwdriver at him. "Don't you have an engine to repair or motor oil to drink?"

"I drank it already. Now, what's up your butt?" LP asked while picking up the screwdriver and setting down on the table.

"Nothing, I just didn't sleep well." He muttered while turning back to the car he was working on.

LP made a face, "That's it?"

Wonho couldn't exactly tell his co-worker that he wasn't able to sleep at all that night because he kept waking up from terrible, horrible nightmares.

And every single one of them was about Yena.

He had to fight every urge to call her up in the middle of the night and hear her voice but she said she wanted space to figure herself out and he wasn't about to push her away to the point where she'd never want to come back.

"Well?" LP asked when his friend didn't answer, "Is that it?"

Wonho stopped working on the car and looked up at his friend and lied with the ease of a professional con.

"That's it."

**\-----**

"Aren't you going to see Wonho tonight?" Namjoon asked when he saw Yena walk around in her pajamas.

Yena shrugged , "Not tonight, I'm tired."

"That never stopped you before." He said while rubbing his nose.

She wanted to laugh.

Again?

Really?

She wondered where he normally did his hits.

Yena's brow twitched, but she kept quiet and just turned to him with a shrug, "Things change."

"Are you two still fighting?" Namjoon asked while tilting his head.

Yena frowned, "We're not fighting and why does it even matter?"

"I just want to make sure he isn't taking whatever grudge he has on me, out on you." Namjoon said with a calm smile.

Yena looked away, "Well he didn't. I'm the one who got mad at him."

"Oh? Why's that?"

She looked at him, wondering why through a 6 year relationship, he only cared about her life and how she felt _now_. "You know what? I'm not feeling well. I think I'm going to turn in."

"How about you take a nice shower first, maybe that will make you feel better." He said sweetly.

Yena stared at him before nodding, "Yeah, maybe you're right."

She walked up the stairs and stopped to glance over her shoulder at him. Her blood ran cold when she saw his eyes staring aimlessly at the wall with a cocky smirk on his lips.

He whistled a happy tune to himself before walking away.

\-----

Yena stepped out from her shower, droplets of boiling water still on her skin as she padded her way across the bedroom, wrapped in a towel, to her closet.

It felt strange not getting dressed to go see Wonho on her own will. She was so used to running out to see him that voluntarily staying away from him felt foreign. She had sent him a text earlier that day, telling him that she wasn't going to come out and he didn't reply.

All she got was _Read at 9:01 PM_

She didn't want to address how terrible it made her feel.

She pulled open the doors and was about to walk in when she heard a chime. She blinked and looked around until she spotted Namjoon's laptop sitting on the bed. She frowned and went to pick it up to place it safely on the table when he thumb accidentally brushed the mouse pad, waking the screen up.

Her eyes widened when she was welcomed by the page of an email inbox. She stared at the email address and frowned, wondering why Namjoon had access to an account called Anonymous4253. The chime echoed again as a reminder to a new email and Yena foolishly clicked on it.

Her eyes widened when she saw the subject heading.

_RE: Son Shownu and Cho Hyerin proof pictures_

She clicked on the email and felt her blood run cold when she saw attachments of Hyerin and Shownu kissing.

_Thanks for the tip, Anon. You sure got us a scoop. If you ever feel like revealing your identity, let me know, I should buy you a drink._

Namjoon exposed Shownu and Hyerin's relationship?

He was the reason that the normally private couple had their lives torn open and poked by everyone who knew them. He's the reason Hyerin revealed her identity despite not wanting to.

Why on earth would he do that to them?

Neither Shownu nor Hyerin had ever done anything to hurt Namjoon, how could he do this to them? He knew how detrimental relationships were in this industry and he had tried to expose them to the public and throw them to the sharks.

Her fingers shook as she scrolled down the inbox, mindlessly scanning all the spam mail until a familiar headline caught her eyes. Her hands trembled as she clicked on the email and watched pictures pop up.

Her heart stopped.

_Future Mrs.Kim, Ahn Yena: The Party Girl._

He did it.

He sent in the pictures.

He ruined her life and reputation and made himself look like the victim by blaming her.

She didn't leave the house for days after these pictures came out.

And it was because her own fiancé sent them to a tabloid to destroy her image?

He was a sociopath.

He risked hurting his own image and company just to humiliate her. 

Her eyes widened when she realized another implication. He had pictures of her at the club, pictures focused solely on her and Wonho. The only way he'd have those pictures would be if he followed her or hired someone to follow her and take incriminating pictures of her.

He was obsessed with controlling her.

She had no privacy.

She slammed the laptop shut and dropped on the chair and held her head in her hands. There was something seriously wrong with Namjoon, something that she couldn't fix. 

He had been manipulating her for 6 years without anyone planting a seed of doubt in her head. She believed that this was what normal relationships were like, she didn't know any better. She was delusional and believed that she was lucky to live her life like this.

But she's seen Shownu and Hyerin around each other.

She knew what _real_ relationships were supposed to look like.

Even Wonho, a man that saw her as a friend treated her better than Namjoon.

Namjoon isolated her from making her own friends and building her own relationships because he knew that once someone opened her eyes, she'd drop him on his ass. That was why he tried to ruin her image and stop her from going out. The only reason he let her continue to see Wonho was because he wanted something from him.

She scoffed and as tears started to build up.

What happened to her life?

\-----

Wonho was sitting on the balcony of the apartment with a beer propped on his knee while his other hand held a cigarette between his fingers.

This felt like the beginning of the end.

It left him feeling ominous and unsettled.

"Hey."

Wonho looked back and nodded at Shownu who walked onto the balcony still wearing his tie and dress shirt with a beer in hand.

"Long day?" Wonho asked while stubbing his cigarette.

Shownu laughed and tilted his beer up to his lips before leaning against the balcony door, "Could be worse."

Wonho hummed and took a sip of the beer, "Hyerin kicked you out?"

"Yeah." He said with a laugh, "Apparently I can't crash at her house every day. What about you? Aren't you usually out with Yena around this time?"

Wonho rubbed his thumb against the label and sighed, "She said she couldn't make it today, so I figured I'd stick around here."

"Everything okay with the two of you?" Shownu mumbled while taking another swig.

Wonho shrugged, "Not really but we were never really okay to begin with. Our whole friendship was kind of…damned to begin with."

"You're calling it a friendship?" Shownu snorted.

Wonho glared at his friend, "Shut up."

Shownu's chuckled quieted down as he thought to himself, "Do you know a lot about Namjoon?"

"Not really. Not since high school. I knew he was going to be a CEO, and honestly? I think I knew he was getting engaged. I'm pretty sure I saw her picture in the papers which was why she seemed so familiar at first." Wonho muttered thoughtfully. "Why?"

Shownu chewed on the inside of his cheek, "I did some asking around and there are some things that aren't really adding up about him. We didn't really bother ourselves with him after Gunhee and 10 years is a long time for someone not to keep tabs on him."

"So?" Wonho snorted.

Shownu frowned, "So, I'm just trying to connect the dots. Aren't you curious what the discrepancies are?"

"I don't care, Shownu." He breathed out, "I don't fucking care. I'm so tired of him, of all of them. Yena's the only the reason he's still associated with me."

"Won--"

Wonho stood up and turned to the door, "I told you that we don't have enough evidence and I just don't want to go through with it. Let it go, Shownu. This isn't your fight."

Wonho pushed his friend aside and walked into the apartment and towards his room until Shownu yelled at him from across the flat. "You don't have a monopoly on Gunhee's death!"

All the boys stopped what they were doing and quietly watched the heated back and forth between the two friends that _never_ fought.

"What?" Wonho asked incredulously while gaping at him.

Shown walked into the house before slamming the door behind him, "Gunhee wasn't only your friend. We all loved him and his death fucked us _all_ over. We all want justice for him and we're trying to be respectful to you but holy shit, we're pissed that we can't do anything about it."

"So you're saying it's my fault?" Wonho balked.

Shownu shook his head, "No, of course not, but you need to see it from our point of view. We want to take Namjoon down. Not all of us want to forget who was responsible for everything like you do."

"So what do you want from me? My blessing? My approval?" Wonho snapped, irritated.

Shownu smiled slightly, "Yeah, I would love that because I hate going behind your back."

"Get evidence." He whispered, "Get irrefutable, infallible evidence and you'll have my approval. Just don't start a battle that you're not going to win because I don't want to lose any more of my friends."

\-----

Yena walked carefully down the stairs, ready to confront Namjoon when something caught her attention. Her eyes darting around frantically when the air smelled different and there were strange sounds coming from the kitchen.

No one ever used the kitchen.

Unless the countless times she made dinner for one were included.

She walked towards the noise but froze at the entrance of the kitchen as she tried to make sense of the scene in front of her. Was she dreaming? She had to be hallucinating.

Namjoon was cooking.

His back was to her as he hovered over the stove, stirring something in a frying pan with the ingredients scattered around the counter. Namjoon never cooked. He barely made toast in the morning. He just either got the hired help to cook for him or he just ate out.

And of all days in their 6 year relationship that he wanted to cook, he chose the day he _knew_ she wasn't going to see Wonho.

Her eyes flickered to the two glasses of wine set on the dining table with candles lit in the center. Romance filled the air, mirroring every woman's hidden fantasy on how they wanted to be treated by a man. A slow smile curled up her lips as she took in the setting in front of her.

This was what she always wanted.

She wanted someone who looked at her with adoration. Someone who went out of their busy day to do something special just for the two of them. Someone who always had time for her. Someone who showed that they cared in the most innocent ways, just to make feel like loved.

She dreamed of a life like this with Namjoon.

She wanted to come home to a scene like this every day until she died.

This was what love should look like.

This was what would make everything better.

Her lips quirked up and there was a gentle and accepting warmth in her eyes,

"Namjoon?" She called out softly.

The man turned with a spatula in his hand, "I'm making dinner for you. Grab a glass while I finish up."

Yena stared at him before smiling wider.

"I'm leaving you."


	30. Chapter 30

Silence is the omission of sound.

It can also be a vacuum, absorbing all noise into a seal that locks it away and leaves nothing in its wake, not even a whisper or an echo.

Yena didn't know how long silence was suspended between her and Namjoon and for a second she wasn't sure he heard her. That maybe she spoke in her head and hadn't actually vocalized her thoughts.

She had conceded with everything Namjoon wanted in the past because she was so desperate to placate him to make sure he didn't leave her. She was so emotionally dependant on the man who saved her that she'd do anything to keep him.

And now she was letting him go.

Namjoon stiffened, the muscles in his back tensing before he slowly turned to her with a darkly incredulous look on his face, "Excuse me?"

No, he heard her just fine.

"I'm leaving you." She repeated before slipping the ring off her finger and set it down on the table near her. She tilted her head up, "I'm done."

"You're done?" He spat out."You're done with what?"

She smiled at him, "With you. With this relationship. I'm leaving."

"What the _fuck_ are you talking about? You're not leaving me." He said with a disbelieving laugh.

Her smile didn't falter as she walked up to him, "I'm leaving you. I can't do this anymore. I can't be with you, I can't spend the rest of my life being the kind of woman that you want. I can't be this perfect, cheerful, submissive trophy wife. We're both unhappy so let's just end things."

His eyes hardened and his face tensed, "Are you fucking insane?" He growled, "You can't just walk in here and end our relationship like that. Not after everything I did for you. It's not that easy."

"You did do a lot for me and I felt like I owed you for that for a long time, but I don't feel in debt to you anymore. Thank you for saving me that day, but that's not enough to make me stay in a loveless, controlling relationship." Her voice darkened with every word. "It's not enough to make me want you."

His eyes narrowed for a moment before they softened, "You're just tired and not thinking straight. Just sit and have dinner. We can talk this over like adults."

She hated the way he sounded like he was talking to a fussy child.

She knew he wouldn't want to actually talk things through, he'd just want to strong arm her into staying with him. 

"Actually, I'm thinking straight just fine. In fact, this might be the most rational I've been in a _really_ long time. I'm done, Namjoon. I don't want to be in this relationship, I don't want to be with you, I don't want to get married. I don't want…you." She breathed out the last part.

Namjoon's softened featured hardened up immediately, "You don't to make that choice. After 6 years you don't get to just wake up one day and decide to throw everything away. You can't end this with just one sentence. I've done everything for you and you have the _nerve_ to walk away with no guilty conscience? Do you know who I am? You're never going to have better than me. You'll never find someone who treats as well as I do, you're throwing your future away. You have no right to say that you don't want me. I could have any woman in the world an--"

"So go be with one of those women instead!" She said in exasperation. "I know you'd rather be with them anyways."

"Shut the fuck up!" He screamed, stunning her into a silence. He started pacing back and forth in front of her, "You can't do this to me. You can't ruin everything I've worked for. You can't destroy my life, my future. You're a nobody. You can't do this. You can't just screw me over like that. You don't do anything all day, I'm the one that works my ass off, how _fucking_ dare you."

"I'm sorry I wasn't busy getting high like you. Maybe if I was, I'd me just as efficient as you." She spat out, unable to stop herself before the venom slipped out of her lips.

He stopped pacing and glared at her, shock passing through his eyes, "The fuck did you say?"

"I saw you snorting up okay, Namjoon! Jesus Christ. Cocaine? Are you insane?" She yelled as her head throbbed.

She screamed when he grabbed her by the neck and slammed her against the wall, lifting her up so that her feet barely grazed the floor.

"You _fucking_ bitch. You think you can threaten me?" He growled while watching her struggle to breathe. "Who the fuck do you think you are? I made you."

"Le-Let go." She rasped out.

He slammed her against the wall again, watching her skull smack painfully, "You think you can enjoy a life luxury thanks to me and then run away when you have to make a commitment? You think you have a choice? Everything meaningful about your life is because of me. If you leave me, you'll be worse off than when you were in that crazy house."

"Life of luxury?" She choked out, "Living here was like hell. I hated every day I stayed here."

Namjoon snarled, "This is because of Wonho, isn't it? What did that bastard say to you?"

She shook her head, "I _swear_ to you this has nothing to do with Wonho."

He dropped her, letting her crumple to the ground while failing to hold herself up. "I won't let you leave me. Everything will fall apart if you leave. People will talk, investors will drop out. You can't do this. I won't let _you_ ruin me."

"Me?" She scoffed with tears of pain in her eyes as her voice continued to get more and more aggressive, "You're the one who's been emotionally abusing me for years. Using my own _fucking_ rape to control me. Do you know how psychotic you are? Telling me that if I dress a certain way or go out at night that I'm _asking_ to be attacked? Fuck you, Namjoon. Fuck you for ruining me. For making me waste _years_ of my life with someone so depraved and deranged as you. No woman should be with someone like you. It's over. I don't want to ever see you again. Rot in hell you sick son of a bitch."

She turned to leave but he grabbed her arm, yanking her back so roughly that she felt like her shoulder was going to be dislocated.

"You're not going anywhere. I'm not done talking." He hissed.

She winced in pain and tried to shake him off but he just strengthened his grip, "But I'm done with you. Let me go."

"I will not let you leave me. I will not be the failed future CEO who's wife left him even before they got married." He whispered threateningly as he looked away. "We've worked too hard and stepped on too many people to get to where I am today. I won't let you throw away everything just because you're being selfish."

Yena followed his eye line to see what he was looking at and felt her blood run cold when she saw him staring at the knife holder sitting on the counter with six blades tucked away.

"N-Namjoon." She rasped out warningly.

His lips quirked up and suddenly his features became serene, "But maybe we can change the narrative."

"W-What do you mean?" Her voice shook as she watched Namjoon's smile grow.

"I'm sure the investors would feel sympathy for a young future CEO whose loving and happy wife was brutally murdered in a horrible home invasion gone wrong while she was making dinner for her husband." He mused.

She tried to pull away, her heart racing and her eyes wide with horror, when she realized the implication, "D-Don't. Please."

It all happened in a flash.

Namjoon let go of her arm and launched for the knives and Yena let out a scream before turning on her heels and raced to the door. She grabbed her wallet and keys off the table before swinging the door open.

"I won't let you leave me." She heard him say under his breath. "The only way you can leave me is if you die."

She glanced over her shoulder and let out another scream when she saw him running at her with a knife in his hand.

She ran down the driveway with Namjoon after her roaring threats.

"Get back here!"

The soles of Yena's feet were scraping against the cement, stinging in pain but she didn't let it stop her. She just continued to pound her feet against the asphalt as she ran. Her eyes watered and her lungs burned as she darted across the street.

The only thought in her mind was that she had to run.

She had to survive.

She let out a blood curling scream when a car nearly hit her as it came to a screeching stop. She held her arms out to stop the car, apologizing incoherently before running to the other side of the street. When she made it across, she turned and stared at Namjoon who was watching her from across the street, unable to cross, with the blade of the knife crushed in his palm, blood dripping onto the cement.

She panted and watched his eyes dart around, taking in the amount of cars driving past before tucking the knife behind his back to hide it. His eyes were cold and hardened as he scowled at her.

Yena licked her lips and glanced at the streetlights that were counting down. Knowing that she didn't have a lot of time before the lights changed, she gave Namjoon one more look before running away.

Running far, far away.

He couldn't get her anymore.

She was free.

\-----

Yena tripped over her feet as she stumbled in front of the apartment complex. Her eyes ran down the list of names until her eyes landed on one name.

She pressed all the buzzers until one of the random units buzzed her up. She pulled the door open, her hair a wreck, out of breath, without shoes, her feet bloody and raw and ran passed the bewildered front desk clerk and headed straight for the elevators.

She slammed her fingers repetitively against the button until they opened lazily. She ran in and watched the doors slid close before pressing on the floor number. Once the elevator started to move, she leaned her back against the wall and closed her eyes. It took everything in her power not to pass out. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she cried in her hands, her whole life was being reset and she had no idea what to do now. She curled up into a ball in the corner of the elevator and just trembled terribly.

She could barely feel happy about being out of the house because the images of Namjoon running after her with a knife, his intention to kill, were still burned beneath her eyelids.

Sure, she was glad she had finally made it out but she couldn't help but fear what he'd try to do now and who he was willing to hurt to get to her. She knew he wouldn’t just accept her decision and let her run away. He had too much at stake to just let her have her way. Breaking up was not the end of seeing him, it was merely the start. All she focused on was wanting to get out of that house as fast as possible that she hadn't really thought about how he'd retaliate.

"You're out." She whispered to herself, "That's all that matters. You did well."

That's all she needed to remember.

She was doing this for herself and she needed to prepare for the worst but she could think about that another time. She just wanted to bask in the fact that she had ended it. She was out of the house and the relationship.

And she did it all by herself.

She had to take it one step at a time or she'd chicken out and go back to him.

She wouldn't let that happen.

When the doors open, she snapped out of her thoughts and weakly pushed herself up off the ground and wobbled out of the elevator, her entire body feeling boneless and sore as she looked at the number on each door until she saw the one she was looking for.

Yena lifted her keys and her fingers shook as she flipped through each key until she found the one with the red rubber case. Her hands were vibrating as she struggled with fitting the key in the hole and even dropped the key a couple of times before it finally slotted through.

She unlocked the door in a hurry and pushed it over before stumbling through.

6 men froze and slowly turned their heads and stared at her with a look of absolute shock on their faces.

"Y-Yena?" Shownu choked out while holding a bottle of beer, frozen, near his lips.

Her eyes darted around frantically as she looked for a familiar face, "I-I need…"

"What are you doing here?" Shownu asked, bewildered while staring at her bare feet. "Is everything okay? Were you with Hyerin?"

Her eyes watered as she shook her head, "I-I need…I need Wonho."

Everyone's eyes widened and a beat of silence passed before the poker-faced Hyungwon screamed at the top of his lungs, "WONHO! GET OUT HERE!"

"NOW!" Shownu added.

There was the sound of distant shuffling before a bedroom door swung open and Wonho stepped out with a grimace on his face, "Why are you scream--oh." He breathed out when he saw Yena staring at him from across the flat.

A foreign feeling passed between the two of them when they stared at each other. She felt her shaking start to subside when she saw his face. There was something so safe and reassuring about seeing him.

"I did it." She whispered while keeping her eyes on his face.

Wonho blinked at her, confusion evident on his face, "You did what?"

She smiled, making his heart strain, "I did it." She repeated.

"Did what, Red?" He asked with knit brows.

She rubbed her face with her left hand and Wonho felt his heart stop when he noticed her ring missing, "I left him, Wonho. Oh my god, I finally left him."

"A-Are you serious?" He croaked out. The other boys stared at her in shock at the revelation.

She nodded vigorously. "I'm not me when I'm with him. I don't remember what _me_ even looks like. He sucked me dry but I don't want that anymore. I want to be happy. Like really happy. I can't believe it. I did it!"

Wonho let out a laugh before crossing the room to gather her into his arms and held her tightly to his body. Yena wrapped her arms around his neck and stepped back with him as she pressed her face into his neck. She inhaled his scent and felt calmness rush over her.

"And you're sure about this?" He muttered softly in her ear.

Yena nodded and held him closer, "I'm so _fucking_ sure."

He let out another laugh and lifted her up in the air. Yena let out a strangled squeal before wrapping her legs around his waist."I'm so proud of you."

"I'm shaking." She muttered into his neck while closing her eyes.

Wonho smiled when he felt her fingers thread through the hairs on the back of his neck. "Then I better not let you go."

Changkyun's jaw dropped as the video game controller fell out of his fingers with the resounding _smack_. Jooheon's lips parted in a shock before looking at each other in search of an answer. Even Shownu looked dazed.

"What the fuck is happening?"

**\-----**

"A knife? Holy shit."

Wonho now fully understood why Shownu wanted to keep Hyerin away from the guys. The minute Yena was seated, they all started fussing over her, treating her like a long lost friend that was actually a tiny kitten.

Jooheon had even gone as far to bring a blanket out and drape it around her shoulders.

All Wonho could do was stand behind the couch and watch the boys crowd around her.

She had just filled everyone in on what had happened, giving them a play by play while Shownu left the room to order late night takeout.

And without Shownu next to him, it was taking everything in his power not to walk out the door, find Namjoon and bash his face in until his fists were raw and bloody. But he sucked it up and just repressed his rage when she went into detail about what Namjoon had done and the things he said when she broke up with him.

Yena scratched the back of her neck, "Y-Yeah. I mean, I've never seen him like that." The memory flashed in her mind and her fingers quickly tightened into fists. "It was terrifying."

Changkyun shook his head, "I can't believe he sent those pictures to the tabloids himself."

"Does he know where you are right now?" Hyungwon asked with a serious frown, "Are you safe here?"

She gulped and fisted the ends of her shirt, "I-I'm not sure. He knows where Shownu lives, it probably won't take too long before he finds out where I am."

"Shownu can find you a good place, he has connections." Kihyun offered with a smile.

Wonho stared at his feet, "Call Hyerin, you should stay with her for the time being. I doubt he knows where she lives."

Yena turned and gazed at Wonho, their eyes locking until Shownu walked up to them, "Hyerin's father can't stand Namjoon, I'm sure the two of them will provide you with good security until you get set up with your own place."

"Do you have control of all your bank account information?" Minhyuk asked.

She nodded curiously, "Y-Yeah. Most of it."

"I work at the bank, I can help you lock up your accounts so he can't touch it." He said with a serious look.

Her lips twitched up gratefully, "Thank you."

Shownu looked over at Wonho who was smiling slightly at the sight before him. He could tell his friend was antsy from being so far from her but seeing his friends treat Yena with warmth was something that must've tugged at his heart.

"You're more than welcome to spend the night here, Yena." Shownu said while staring at Wonho, "You can take Wonho's room, he'll take the couch."

Wonho glanced at his friend, his brow twitching before he sighed and turned to Yena who looked unsure, "Don't worry about me, the couch pulls out."

\-----

The eight of them were sitting around the table eating and talking when Wonho noticed how quiet Yena had gotten.

She stared at her food and every now and then she'd laugh at one of their jokes or smile at one of their stories, but he could tell her brain was a thousand miles away. He nudged her foot with his under the table, making her snap her head up. She looked around the table until their eyes hit each other. She blinked at him with knit brows until he nodded at his bedroom door.

 _"Now?"_ She mouthed with wide eyes.

He nodded and set his plate down, waiting for her reply. She looked at the guys before looking back at Wonho with an incredulous look.

He shook his head reassuringly, _"Don't worry about them."_

Yena chewed on her lip nervously before setting her dish down and slowly standing up. She cleared her throat and awkwardly looked away when the boys looked up at her curiously. She gave them a strained smile that had Wonho grinning as she excused herself to his room.

Their eyes followed her as she closed the bedroom door behind and when they turned to Wonho for answers, he was already walking into his bedroom after her.

Changkyun snorted and looked back at his food, "Subtle much?"

\-----

"You have a nice room." Yena mentioned as she looked around.

Wonho chuckled as he took a seat on his chair, across from her on the bed, "Thanks."

"Well?" She asked when her eyes returned to his.

He leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers over his stomach, "How do you feel right now?"

"Honestly?" She breathed out. "I'm scared. I'm really, really scared. Seeing him with that knife was the first time that I actually thought that I might die. I've never seen him lose it like that before."

Wonho fell silent and watch Yena turned her back to him as she crawled up his bed and slid under the covers, letting them pool around her waist. She shook her head and looked at him sadly, "I feel like I just set off a chain reaction bomb and every day is going to bring another explosion. I'm not ready for the aftermath. I barely made it through today"

"You weren't ready to leave him either, but you did. You managed to get a new start, you can take on anything at this rate." He cooed soothingly as Yena's eyelids started to grow heavy.

She sighed, "I realized something today when Namjoon asked me if I was leaving him because of you."

"What's that?" He asked in surprise.

"Well, first of all, I said no. It wasn't because of you, I left him because it was the last straw and I couldn't take it anymore. I left him because of me. But what I realized was that you're the kind of person that Namjoon hates. The kind he's been trying to keep from me which why I don't really understand why he let me see you after he found out.

Wonho tilted his head, watching her carefully, "What kind is that?"

"The kind that's teaching me that she doesn't need Namjoon, that I don't need a single person in the world except for me. I'm valuing herself more and Namjoon absolutely hates that and the fact that he hates it so much is really fucked up." She cursed, making him smile.

He shook his head, almost in awe, "You are damn brilliant."

She hummed while staring at him, his face warm with the glow of the room's light, "What happened between you and Namjoon, anyways?"

"Just go to sleep for now, Red." He murmured, "You deserve it."

Her lip quivered as she sunk into the mattress and pulled the covers that smelled so much like him up to her chin, "I've never been on my own for 6 years."

"It's not a bad thing to be on your own sometimes." He said with a shrug, "It's nice to enjoy your own company."

She nodded but still looked nervous, "I can't deal with him alone."

"Well, you won't be alone." Wonho reassured, "I promise you that those 6 guys in the other room have your back and I don't doubt for a second that Hyerin is ride or die for you. Namjoon…isn't normal. This won't be easy, but you're not alone."

Yena nodded again but her eyes glazed over, "He used to say that without him I'd be alone. I'd have nothing."

"He was wrong." Wonho whispered while rolling his chair over to her side of the bed. "Because now more than ever in your life, you have _everything_." 

\-----

Namjoon sat on the stool next to kitchen island.

The past he made earlier was thrown across the kitchen, the red sauce splattering against the wall like blood. The glasses of wine were shattered on the ground, the purplish liquid spilled everywhere.

He watched the blood on his palm drip before slowly covering the wound with a sheet of gauze. He continued to wrap his hand before his eyes moved to the expensive diamond ring sitting on the counter.

He'd let her run.

He'd let her hide.

He'd let her feel strong for a while.

But he wasn't done.

Not with her.

Not with Wonho.

Not yet.

No, he was going to destroy her.

He was going to make her wish she never left him. 


	31. Chapter 31

Yena walked out of Wonho's bedroom to the smell of eggs and bacon and found the said man standing in front of the stove, moving something onto a plate.

"You cook?" She blurted out, making him jump and nearly drop the plate.

He turned and gaped at her before an embarrassed blush crept up his neck, "On occasion. Take a seat."

Yena let him set the plate down in front of her before grabbing one of his own and sat across from her, "You're going to work?"

"Yeah, um…I might need a ride." She said while picking at her food.

Wonho's brows knit together, "Shit, okay well the guys already left for work and took their cars so all that's left is my bike. Is that okay?"

"That's fine but if it's easier I could just take the bus." She offered while taking a bite.

He shook his head with a quirky smile, "Driving you will be faster. Don't worry about it."

Everything felt so off the minute she woke up in a room that she wasn't familiar with.

And for a minute, the events of last night felt surreal, she couldn't even believe they actually happened and she had officially broken up with Namjoon. It made her kind of sick knowing that someone that she spent 6 years with was out of her life that quickly.

Suddenly the house she had known too well was replaced with one she didn't recognize at all and the man she saw every day was suddenly replaced with 6 new faces and one face that she was getting too comfortable with.

Wonho watched her carefully when she didn't reply right away before his eyes drifted passed her face, "Where did you even get women's clothes?"

"Oh, Hyungwon said he wrote an article about a women's fashion outlet and as a gift they gave him a ton of women's clothes for his girlfriend but he didn't want to tell them that he didn't have a girlfriend so he just took the gift and left it in his closet." She explained, remembering how scared she was when she woke up to the sound of footsteps only to see a man setting down a box of clothes on the table.

Wonho's lips twitched up in a smile, "And he gave them to you?"

"Yeah, he came into your room this morning and left it by your desk. He doesn't smile much, does he?" She asked with a frown.

Wonho laughed, "No, he doesn't, but he's kinda like a cat. He's very subtle with his affection. I think he likes you just fine."

"Good." She said with a shy smile, "I'm glad. I wouldn't want them to dislike me ."

"Trust me, I think you've become their new favourite person. Have you talked to Hyerin yet?"

"My phone's dead, I was going to go buy a charger after work today and fill her in on….everything." She said while playing with her food.

Wonho found himself playing with his food as well. "Are you going to stay with her for a few days?"

"If she says yes. I think it'd be good for me to stay with her for." She mumbled, suddenly feeling too guilty to look Wonho in the eye.

Wonho cleared his throat and nodded while trying to push down the disappointment in his chest. He was the one who had suggested that she stay with Hyerin but knowing she was actually leaving made him feel resentful, "Well, keep the key, you're welcome to come over whenever you want."

"I will." She said with a small smile, "I promise."

Wonho's lips lifted into a smile before standing up, "Let's get you to work."

\-----

It was exhilarating.

She was pressed up against Wonho's back with her eyes squeezed shut as he weaved his bike through traffic with the agility of a pro.

The wind was whipping against her relentlessly but it was entirely too comforting. Where other people might've found it intimidating, she just tightened her arms around his stomach and felt like she was flying.

A drive that should've taken 20 minutes took 10 as Wonho pulled into the parking lot before killing the engine. He didn't say anything when she remained clung to him even after they parked and just took the time to bask in the way she held him.

Finally, she let go to pull the helmet off. She swung her leg off the bike before trying to fix her sweat matted hair while handing him the helmet, "Thanks for the ride."

"Trust me." He said with a grin while starting his bike back up, "It was just as fun for me."

Yena chuckled and knocked her fist against the helmet before walking away.

\-----

Yena ignored the inquisitive stares she was getting from parents when they watched Wonho drive off and just walked to the school doors when she spotted Hyerin standing by the entrance, looking around while chewing nervously on her lip.

Yena grinned, feeling light as she ran up to her friend, "Hyerin! What are you doing out here? You don't have morning supervision today."

"Yena." Hyerin croaked out, causing Yena's smile to fall.

Her eyes grew wide when she saw how red Hyerin's eyes and nose were, almost as if she had been crying, "W-What's wrong? Are you parents okay? Did something happen with Shownu?"

"No." She breathed out as her eyes started to water.

Yena gulped as dread washed over her, "Y-You're scaring me. Hyerin, what's wrong?" 

"Y-Yena…they're letting you go."

Yena felt the bag she was holding slip out of her hands as she stared at her friend, "W-What do you mean they're letting me go?"

"They held an emergency meeting this morning and they said that the school was no longer employing you and that they hired a sub to take over until they hire someone permanent. I'm so sorry." She rasped out.

Yena let out a dry laugh as tears rimmed her eyes, "No, that doesn't make sense. W-Why would they do that? I didn't do anything wrong. They can't just fire me."

"I think it might be Namjoon's doing." Hyerin blurted out while fisting her hands.

Yena's eyes widened, "Are you serious?"

"Right after they told us you were being let go they said they were going to add an extension to the school building after receiving a _generous_ anonymous donation. I don't think it was that anonymous." Hyerin said the last part softly while looking away.

Yena let out repetitive breaths while laughing hysterically, "H-He can't do this. He can't take this job away from me. I _need_ this." She grabbed Hyerin's arms, "How can he do this?"

"I'm so sorry, hun." Hyerin choked out while pulling Yena into her arms. "Okay, I'm going to ask for a half day, get a sub to come in and make the kids watch a movie or something."

Yena shook her head and pulled away before rubbing her face, "No, no, it's fine. I don't want you risking your job either."

"This is happening. I'm doing this." She said sternly before pulling her key out, "Here. You know where I live, right? Call Wonho to drive you there and stay put, I should be there before lunch and we'll figure this all out, okay?"

Yena felt the lump in her throat grow before she nodded, "O-Okay. Okay."

"Everything's going to be fine, Yena. We'll figure this out."

\-----

Yena didn't call Wonho for a ride.

She took the subway to Hyerin's apartment instead.

She didn't want to face anyone right now so she just took a seat and thought about how Namjoon did everything he could do to ruin her.

Why did he hate her so much?

What did she _ever_ do to him?

Yena curled up and gazed out the window with a faraway look.

The train jerked as it came to a screeching halt inside a tunnel while a couple of lights flickered before the entire train turned dark. Yena's heart started to speed up as she licked her lips nervously. With everything coated in darkness, Yena started to feel everything close in on her, like it was suffocating her.

She didn't know how many people were standing in the train with her but it felt like they were all squishing her against the wall, not allowing her to move. Forcing her into a claustrophobic bubble that made breathing impossible. Why was it so hard to think? She was getting dizzy and only the same 4 or 5 thoughts were spinning around in her head like an evil little monster whispering deathly hymns in her ear, poisoning her thoughts. 

She didn't have a job.

She didn't have a house.

She had nothing.

She had no future.

No life.

She gulped and pressed her body against the window as she closed her eyes and tried to take deep breaths in and out to calm herself down.

She was having an anxiety attack.

Yena gasped when she heard the sound of a girl crying somewhere behind her.

A strange sense of relief filled her as her breathing evened out. Hearing the sound of another girl crying made her feel less alone.

_Good, I'm not the only one that's scared._

She squeezed her fists and bit down on her lip as she tried to fight against the heavy weight that was resting on her chest. Suddenly the lights snapped on and Yena felt her breath rush back into her lungs.

Yena peeled her eyes opened and froze when she noticed that everyone was looking at her.

"Dear? Are you okay? Here."

Yena looked at the elderly woman sitting beside her who was holding a tissue out for her. She blinked with a slight frown before a horrifying realization dawned upon her.

She was the crying girl. 

\------

"Hey, I'm going to see Yena today, want to come?"

Wonho looked up from the car he was working on and sat up when he saw Shownu still dressed in a suit, "Why are you going to see her?"

"My dad and I worked up a restraining order against Namjoon and I'm going to see if she'd be interested in signing it. Coming at her with a knife is enough to keep him away." Shownu said sarcastically.

Wonho cleared his throat and tried to look nonchalant. "Why would think I would want to come?"

"She got fired today." Shownu said bluntly.

Wonho stood up in shock, "What? Are you fucking serious?"

Yena loved that job and Wonho saw the way her students ran after him just because they thought he was her husband. Those kids adored her and now she was being ripped away from them just because of one man's bruised ego.

"And I think it's because Namjoon told them to let her go. So she could use all the friends she can get."

Wonho nodded and grabbed his jacket and keys before following Shownu to his car, "Remember when you said you found some discrepancies? What were they?"

"You're interested now?" Shownu mumbled with raised brows.

"Answer the damn question, lawyer."

Shownu sighed and tossed his briefcase into his car and looked at him from over the hood of the car.

"His company is on the brink of bankruptcy."

\-----

"She's on vacation?" Namjoon's father balked at his son.

Namjoon smiled and nodded, "She was getting stressed and I didn't want her to become a loose cannon."

"So she's on vacation?" His father repeated.

Namjoon nodded, "For a few weeks."

"But you're sure that the wedding is still on, right? If that wedding doesn't happen--"

"It'll be fine, dad." Namjoon said with a smile, "We're going to get married without a hitch."

His father chuckled and clapped his hands before standing up, "I always knew I could count on you."

"On January 15th, you'll be getting a daughter-in-law. I swear on it."

\-----

"So if I sign this, he can't come within 100 feet of me?" She mumbled while staring at the small stack of papers that Shownu had sent in front of her.

He cleared his throat and laced his fingers together while Wonho and Hyerin watched from behind. "Not exactly. It just means that if he _does_ get too close to you, he's legally held accountable."

"You're saying he can still come after me?" She whispered while staring at the dotted line where she was supposed to sign.

Shownu glanced over his shoulder at Wonho and Hyerin before looking back at her, "We won't let that happen. You're staying with Hyerin and until I suggest you try not to go places alone."

"So even after I left him, I still can't do anything on my own?" She muttered to herself.

"You don't need to sign it now if you want to take some time and think it over." Hyerin suggested.

Yena chewed on her lip and looked at her friend before looking over at Wonho who was staring directly at her with a vacant look in his eye. "No, I want to sign it."

"Just sign here, initial here and put the date right here." Shownu instructed while pointing at each line.

Yena signed where needed before setting down Shownu's expensive pen. "Now what?"

"We're looking into Namjoon and his family." Hyerin said while walking around the couch to sit next to Shownu, "Shownu's paralegals are doing some due diligence."

Yena frowned, "What for? He didn't break any laws."

"Hitting you is assault." Shownu explained. "Running after you with a knife is attempted murder."

Yena laughed dryly and shook her head, "That won't be enough to do anything. You come at him with a lawsuit he'll come at you with 15 lawyers to defend him."

"Which is why we want to look into his past more and see if there's anything hard we can charge him on." Hyerin said softly.

Yena chewed on her lip, "I-I don't know if he deserves jail time, though. Isn't that a bit…intense?"

Wonho finally spoke up for the first time since he got there.

"He came at you with a _knife_ and every intention of killing you with it and when you survived he's trying to kill your career. He deserves worse than jail time."

Yena's sighed warily before standing, "I need some fresh air."

Wonho followed her with his eyes as she went out to the balcony before he rolled his head back, "Bankruptcy. How is that possible? That company has so many investors."

"None of them are real." Shownu explained, "After his father started letting Namjoon take over, he failed to gain any new investors so in order to keep appearances he's been doctoring books and files."

Hyerin frowned while shaking her head, "And his father hasn't noticed?"

"He doesn't care, every day he's giving Namjoon more and more control of the company and he's stepping back. He was waiting for the wedding before officially handing the company over to him" Shownu said.

Wonho cursed under his breath before standing up and heading straight for the balcony before grabbing something off the couch.

\-----

"It's late, you'll get cold." Wonho muttered before draping a blanket around her shoulders.

Yena gripped the blanket and tugged it closer to her body, "What's happening to my life, Wonho? A week ago it was…it existed. Now it's falling apart."

"How else are you supposed to build yourself back up? Namjoon planted himself into your life early on so the only way to get him out is to break everything down and start from scratch." He said with a shrug.

Yena made a face of disgust, "That sounds awful."

"It always is." He said with a laugh.

She closed her eyes, "I hate Namjoon. I _hate_ him. I hate him so _fucking_ much."

"Which is exactly why Shownu is going to destroy him." Wonho said thoughtfully.

Yena watched him from the side of her eye, "You really trust him, don't you?"

"With my life." He said without missing a beat, "All six of them. Best friends you could ever ask for…and Gunhee." He whispered.

"What you said about building yourself back up from scratch," Yena chewed on her lip before glancing at him, "Is that how you stopped cutting?"

"Yup." He said with fake cheerfulness, "I quit my shitty bar job, got therapy, finished my degree and found a better job."

Yena slid up to Wonho with wide eyes, "You worked at a bar?"

"Oh yeah, Red, I used to be a bartender. Super hot, got a lot of tips." He snickered as she laughed against his shoulder.

"Are you serious? That's so cool." She said between laughs.

Wonho reveled in the way she looked when she was tired, angry, broken but laughing like it was the best day of her life, "It was fun at first but it's not great to give someone suffering through depression complete access to alcohol."

Yena's smile fell as stared up at him, her body pressed against his arm, "Depression?"

"I saw a therapist for a reason." Wonho said with a shrug.

She gulped and looked at her feet, "Was it hard? I mean, seeing a professional about it?"

"Hell yeah. Because if I wanted to ask for help, I needed to admit that I _needed_ help but the problem was that I needed help to learn how to ask for help. It was a Catch 22. It's also scary wondering what people would say or think, especially my friends."

"And they were okay with it?"

He laughed at the memory, "Yeah, they even chipped in to pay for my first week of sessions. They saw how bad I had gotten and were waiting for the day when I'd ask for help."

"I can't do that." She muttered. "I can't be like you. I just want everything to go away."

Wonho made a face and cautiously wrapped his arm around her before resting his chin on her head, "No one's saying you need to be like me because trust me, _me_ made a lot of mistakes. You'll figure your own way through this, I promise."

"What am I supposed to do now, Wonho? I don't have a job and I wouldn't be surprised if Namjoon will make sure I never have one." She said as her throat closed up in panic.

"You have savings, right? Maybe it's time to take a break from being a future wife and a teacher. Maybe you need time to do _nothing_ and just work on yourself. You spent everyday doing what another man wants and putting the needs of your kids ahead of yourself." He suggested. "It's time to be so _fucking_ selfish."

Yena snorted and shook her head, "Why are you so good at giving advice? You always know exactly what to say at the exact right moment."

"If you read enough novels and watch enough TV shows you'll learn that it's really easy to point out how to fix other people's problems because you're looking at it from the outside in. It's never as easy when you're looking at it from the inside out." He said, resisting the sudden urge to kiss her head.

"You did it again." She laughed weakly.

Wonho snorted and stared out the balcony for a moment before letting go of Yena, "You need to cut loose."

"What?" She balked in surprise of his sudden declaration.

He shrugged and pulled the blanket over her properly, "Instead of thinking about everything's that's been going wrong, let's focus on the things that are going right."


	32. Chapter 32

"A party?" She mumbled into her phone as she laid in Hyerin's spare bedroom hours after she had left for work.

She found nothing else to do and spent the majority of the day fidgeting around, unsure what to do with herself until she resorted to staying holed up in bed trying to nap.

Wonho hummed on the other line, his phone wedged between his shoulder and ear as finished up tuning up his last car. "It's a house party of a friend of a friend's."

"I'm not sure…" Yena mumbled while wrapping her finger around the hem of her shirt.

"Think about it." He said while slamming the hood of the car down and locking it, "Music, food and alcohol. I'd say it's a good combination."

She pouted to herself, "Who's going to be there? I won't know any of them."

"You'll know the seven of us and Shownu's bringing Hyerin too. And everyone else that's going to be there will be just like us. No stuck up society types." He said firmly.

Yena laughed breathily, making Wonho's eye flinch, "I'll think about it."

"Are you bored over there?"Wonho asked as he wiped his hands and sauntered to his office.

Yena stretched her limbs out and stared at the ceiling, "I've never had this much free time before."

Mr. Jung walked across the garage but stopped in his tracks when he saw Wonho smiling softly into his phone before closing the door. He raised his brows before chuckling to himself while shaking his head.

"LP was right. The boy's getting laid. Unbelievable."

Wonho dropped into his chair and leaned back, "Well, if you're really bored, you can always come hang out here with me, but I wouldn't know what you'd do."

"You could teach me how to change the oil in a car." She joked.

Wonho chuckled, "You'd already know more than Shownu."

Yena laughed loudly before sighing, "You know, I'm feeling a lot better, Wonho."

Wonho didn't speak, he couldn't find it in himself to tell her that it was likely that the feeling was only temporary, like a burst of happiness that would last a few hours before it would drop her back down. He knew firsthand how fleeting it could be.

"I know it's hard Red, but you'll get through this. I promise."

She sighed and closed her eyes, "I'm so glad I know you. I have no idea why you've stuck around me for so long."

"You're a tiny beautiful storm, Red." He said, smiling.

Yena grunted, "Don't most people take cover during storms?"

"Yeah but other people chase them."

\-----

"Are they coming?" Changkyun asked as he downed a shot.

Shownu tilted his beer up to his lips as they lingered near the wall away from where the crowd was dancing.

"Hyerin said she'd come if Yena wanted to but otherwise, they're having a girls night. I haven't heard from her since I talked to her at lunch."

Wonho glanced at the front door while nursing his drink, "Yena said she'd think about it. Drunk crowds aren't really her thing."

"Does she like the clothes I brought her?" Hyungwon asked off-handedly.

Wonho grinned while nodding, "You're so soft for her."

"Only because you are!" Hyungwon shot back, looking flushed. "You fawn over her so much I figured I might as well get on her good side." 

The guys laughed, teasing and shoving each other as if they were at a college party and for a moment Wonho wondered if this was how it would've looked like if they had all enrolled in the same college.

Wonho stayed dazed in his thoughts until his gaze caught something by the door. His lips parted and his eyes widened when he saw Hyerin and Yena standing by the door while surveying the room. Hyerin was dressed in a floral jacket and Yena had her arm wrapped around Hyerin's, dressed in a leather jacket and ripped jeans that she must have borrowed from her new roommate. She looked heartbreaking with her hair so messy and wavy that he had to resist the urge to run his finger through it to untangle it. Hyerin and Yena both caught sight of their group at the same time and their faces lit up as they made their way towards them.

Kihyun spotted them and raised his cup, "Ladies."

Shownu's face brightened up when he saw his girlfriend and quickly pulled her to him to press his lips to hers before pulling away and whispering a greeting against her mouth. "Hey, hon."

"You guys made it!" Changkyun cheered before taking another shot.

Yena grinned at Wonho who shot her wink, "Looking good, Red. Glad you decided to show up."

"I needed to let my hair down." She replied with a casual shrug.

In reality, she had realized that the house party would be just like the parties that she had always wanted to go to when she was in college but couldn't. Now she finally had a chance to experience those moments.

Wonho quirked his brow up, "It's a good look on you."

"Black leather and ripped jeans, I'd hate to say that I'm taking after you." She teased with a vicious glint in her eyes.

Wonho bit down on his lip while holding back his grin, "I'd hate to say that I'm a pretty good influence and I'd be telling the truth."

Hyerin rolled her eyes as a joke before wrapping her arm around Shownu's waist.

"Well, let's stop standing around like a bunch of chumps and mingle." Hyungwon said as they started to disperse, some into the crowd and others into the kitchen.

Yena had the intention of sticking with Hyerin but the house was packed and every time she tried to keep up, it felt like more and more people were getting between the two of them before she lost sight of her completely.

"H-Hyerin!" She called out but the music drowned out her voice.

Yena grunted when she got jostled around in the crowd, getting pushed further and further into the thick of it. Her skin was getting warm as she was shoved against people, feeling strange bodies pressed up against her, Her skin started to feel too tight like it was squeezing the life out of her.

There were men here, she knew it, she could smell the sickly cologne and sweat and it made her want to vomit. They weren't even looking at her but she was feeling sick as terrifying memories of being pushed against the ground, helpless and left immobile as grabbing hands came at her.

She started hyperventilating, her breaths coming out in panicked wheezes as she closed her eyes. The crowd was oblivious to her presence and kept shoving against her, pushing her closer and closer against them until she could barely breathe. She was getting dizzy as she fought against the suffocating crowd as fear crawled up her throat.

Just as tears started to build, a hand shot out and grabbed her arm before pulling her through the crowd. Her vision was blurring as she stumbled behind them as they pushed people aside until they were far away from the crowd.

Cold air welcomed her as she gasped out a breath. She felt hands on her shoulder and she looked up and squinted at the face in front of her and it took her a while to recognize the face before the features fell into place.

It was one of Wonho's friends.

Jonhon?

Joohoon?

Jooheon.

Yes. It was Jooheon.

"Are you okay?" He asked with a frown, "These crowds can get a little crazy."

Yena let out a pained sound before nodding. She tried to take a step but her heel faltered and she nearly fell on her face if he hadn't grabbed her arm.

Jooheon sighed and looked around, "Let's go find Wonho or Hyerin, okay?"

Yena nodded again and carefully led her around the perimeter of the house, looking for either of her friends until he spotted Wonho laughing with some guy while drinking. His eyes flickered over to them and he did a double take when he saw Yena's face. His smile faded as red flags started to pop up, he quickly excused himself and walked over to them.

"What happened?" He mumbled to Jooheon while staring at Yena.

Jooheon smiled, "Nothing she can't handle, but I think this lady needs a drink."

\-----

"Shownu! Let's get this girl liquored up!"

Shownu glanced up at Jooheon who had his arm around Yena's shoulder and Yena who looked partly mortified and partly grateful.

Shownu laughed and picked up a bottle before pouring some of it into a cup and handing it over, "How's the job hunt going?"

Yena took the cup and stared at the liquid before clearing her throat, "Actually I'm not really looking."

"Well if you ever need help, I'm sure I could ask around and pull some favors. Your resume is impressive." Shownu offered.

Yena nodded before a calming smile curved up her lips, "You know what? Thanks for the offer, but I'm not really in a rush to find something. I want the time off and when I'm ready I'll find my job on my own." 

"Well." He said, impressed while lifting his cup, "Cheers to that."

\-----

"Wonho!"

Wonho blinked and turned to the voice to see Yena running towards him with a blinding smile, completely different than her expression just a few minutes earlier while holding a cup of something volatile.

"Hey--oh!"

Yena grabbed the sides of his face, pulled him down and slammed their foreheads towards. Wonho groaned at the pain and peeled his eyes open before slightly smiling. Yena's face was scrunched up in focus as she stared at him.

"I'm drunk." She deadpanned before pulling her head back and slamming her forehead back against his.

Wonho grimaced while laughing, "Yes, you are."

"Hyungwon makes really yummy drinks." She stated seriously.

He grinned at how serious she looked, "He is known for that."

"Being drunk feels nice." She muttered.

Wonho gulped and blurted out a reply before he could filter himself, "You feel nice."

Yena pulled away and stared at him silently before reaching up and fixing his bangs while sloppy hands. Wonho stayed perfectly still and just stared at her with smiling eyes as she knit her brows while messing with his hair.

And _shit_ , he was so in love with this woman.

"Oh, you're so pretty." She mumbled out with glazed eyes. "Look at your pretty hair and shiny earrings."

Wonho's smile grew as he slid his arm around her waist and pulled her towards him, just close enough that he could see every fleck in her eyes.

"And you're so… _fuck_ , you're everything." He breathed out, his stomach twisted and flipped pleasantly as a strange warmth grew.

He was selfish.

Because he wanted her.

And he knew that wasn't what she needed.

It was actually probably the furthest thing.

He wanted to wake up with her, he wanted to kiss her senseless and breathless, he wanted to do menial things with her like going grocery shopping and he wanted her to love him.

Oh _god,_ he wanted her to love him so much that it hurt.

"Namjoon isn't as pretty as you." She muttered while frowning, "I wish I had you first."

Wonho closed his eyes, everything was frying the ends of his nerves and he tried to pinpoint the exact moment when he fell so hard for her.

When he decided that his life hadn't been hard enough so he decided to fall for a woman that didn't love him back and might not ever.

But she was Red, and things were never as meaningful when they were done easily.

"Yeah, me too." 

\-----

Wonho wondered if he was normal.

He didn't think he was.

Normal guys would think that a woman like Yena had too much baggage to deal with. They would keep their distance but Wonho, on the other hand, couldn't stay away from her if he tried.

And normal guys would probably feel bitter or jealous if they saw the girl they liked dancing and laughing with their best friends.

But Wonho absolutely loved it.

He loved the way the guys with the help of Hyerin would crack joke after joke, having Yena crouching over in tears as she laughed.

He loved that they dragged out to the dance floor and made her dance with them while unintentionally creating a human circle around her so that she wouldn't be shoved and pushed.

"How come the guy who likes her the most is keeping the furthest distance?" Shownu muttered.

Wonho jumped and started at his friend in shock before looking back at the crowd, "Where did you come from?"

"Just curious, but if you like her so much, wouldn't you want to spend a lot of time with her?"

Wonho shrugged, "I don't want her to know I like her."

"Really? You're choosing to be subtle _now_?" Shownu said with a laugh.

Wonho shrugged, "Before I was just joking. It's wrong now."

"Wrong?" Shownu asked with knit brows.

Wonho took a sip of his beer and watched the way Yena bounced with her hands up in the air while Jooheon and Hyungwon pranced around her as Hyerin filmed the debacle, laughing.

"Who is the last person who needs another relationship out of all of us, right now?" He muttered.

Shownu grunted in response but before he could reply, his eyes widened when Yena came racing towards them, grabbing both their hands, "LET'S GO!"

Neither of them could complain nor did they really want to because Yena let go of Shownu right into Hyerin's arms and turned and pulled Wonho into hers. His breath caught in his throat when she let go of his hands so they could dance.

She was so close to him and it didn't make sense that one person could make him feel so good.

Wonho took a step back and started to dance wildly with Changkyun, making Yena laugh while clapping her hands, amused by their childish antics. She was so endearing and he felt his chest unwind when he saw how happy she was. Like even the simplest things could make her entire world light up.

He stopped dancing and laughed at Changkyun and Jooheon who were dancing obnoxiously until he felt Yena's face, more specifically her lips, pressed between his shoulder blades to hide her laughter. His body sparked and when he felt her smile grow against his shirt, he softened and fought back his own smile.

She might not remember with utmost clarity, the small moments between them that night, but he knew that he'd never forget this day for the rest of his life.

Never.

\-----

Yena and Hyerin giggled while propping their bodies up against each other as they tried to open the front door. Once they made it inside, the girls snickered while tipsily kicking their heels off and messily pulling off their jackets and tossing it to the side.

The girls hooked their arms through each other's and walked over to the couch before both of them flopped down and rested their feet atop the coffee table.

"That was fun, huh? That was really, really fun." Hyerin said while stretching her arms over her head.

Yena leaned her head in the crook of Hyerin's neck and sighed, "It was so much fun. And you and Shownu, huh? You guys seem pretty serious, you were all over each other."

"I might be jumping the gun, but holy fuck, he's perfect. I love him so much." Hyerin said dreamily. "He's funny, dorky and sweet. He treats me like a normal person but he still tries to shower me with gifts even though I can afford my own. And the sex is--"

"Oh my god. Okay, I get it. Moving on." Yena said quickly, making Hyerin laugh, "So marriage is…"

Hyerin's face flushed red shyly, "In the future. I hope."

"Good. At least one of us is going to get married happily and honestly." Yena snorted.

Hyerin's smile dropped as she rolled her head to face her friend, "Sweetie, you're strong, you'll get through this."

"Everyone keeps telling me that." Yena's voice cracked as tears filled her eyes before they spilled over her cheeks, "People keep saying that they know that I'll get through this but I don't have the damnedest clue how. I don't know how to be normal. I went to a party tonight and I was about to have a panic attack in the middle of the dance floor if it wasn't for Wonho's friends. I couldn't act like a normal woman until I was drunk. I'm a mess and everyone knows it, Hyerin, so why do people keep saying that I can get through this when all I want to do is cry. I just want to cry and make it all go away. I don't want to be strong. I don't want to meet this warrior expectation people have of me. It's so hard and I don't know how much more of this I can take."

She looked over at Hyerin who had tears dribbling off her chin, "I'm sorry." She rasped out, "I just want you to believe in yourself but I know how meaningless those words feel. I'm--I'm honestly scared that if I don't keep reminding you that you could do this, that you're strong enough to survive this, that one day you'll just be…gone. Taken away from this world before I could do anything to save you. That one day I'd wake up and you wouldn't be there anymore. And I can't handle that. I don't know how I'll live if that happens to you so I try so hard to make you believe in yourself so that you won't give up. It was selfish and I didn't realize how much of a burden you must've felt. I'm so sorry."

"W-Wait, what do you mean, I'd be gone?" Yena asked with shaking eyes.

Hyerin gulped and fisted her tank top, "Shownu told me about his friend, Gunhee. About how everything had gone wrong for him and that he had lost everything that he thought defined him as a person. Shownu told me that every day he wonders if Gunhee would still be alive if he had said more or done more or made him feel like he could be stronger. And I started to get scared that you might be in the same place as Gunhee was. At first, I didn't think anything would cross over but then Namjoon took away your job and I got scared. I just…I can't lose you Yena."

"You're not going to lose me, Hyerin." Yena whispered, her mind reeling from her friend's confession.

Hyerin sat up and turned her body to Yena's before taking the girl's hands in her own, "I don't care if you want to spend the rest of your life curled up in a ball. You will _still_ be stronger than him. You will defeat him. You will knock him down. You will be free from him and you will live the life you deserve."

"B-But how are you so sure?" Yena said, subconsciously squeezing Hyerin's hands.

Hyerin smiled through her tears, "Because I'm so damn sure that nothing can break you down now."

\-----

Hours later, after having a few more drinks and having a bit more fun, they were starting to wind down. After sending Hyerin, who was thankfully a lot more sober, and Yena home in a cab, the rest of the men decided it was time to call it quits and head home.

The seven of them were walking down the hallway talking tipsily amongst each other while Jooheon carried a drunk Changkyun on his back.

"I'm not _that_ drunk." Kihyun snorted.

Shownu laughed drunkenly, "You kept running around with a chunk of ice asking everyone if Elsa was at the party and why she was ruining all the water."

"She was a cold hearted princess closed off from the world wit--"

"Enough. You need to stop babysitting your niece." Wonho called out with a yawn.

Shownu laughed as he pulled his keys out as they turned the corner. He looked forward and felt his smile start to fall as his feet stuttered to a stop. Wonho frowned while he collided against his friend's back and shoved him.

"Why'd you stop?" Hyungwon slurred from behind the group.

"W-Won-Wonho." Shownu called out.

Wonho pushed his friend aside and stood next to Shownu and stared at their front door. His blood ran cold as he stared at the words that were angrily painted in red.

_SHE'S MINE._


	33. Chapter 33

"We can have a cop car stationed in front of the complex if that would make you all feel better." The responding officer said.

Shownu winced, still nursing a hangover as he stood outside their suite the next morning. They called the police that morning and gave their statement while another officer took pictures of the door to keep on file.

"No, it's fine. We'll be okay." He said with a sigh.

The officer nodded and closed his notepad, "I suggest you install some cameras by your door and maybe the group of you should spend the night elsewhere just to be safe."

"We'll keep that mind, thank you. Can we paint over the door now?" Shownu asked.

"Sure, we have the pictures. Make sure to call us if anything else happens and have a good day, sir." He said with a tilt of his cap.

Shownu rubbed his eyes and turned to the door to find Wonho standing in front of it, staring at the writing.

He walked up to him and stood next to him, "Do we tell her? This is obviously about her."

"She needs to know that he's not backing down so she knows to be more alert.' Wonho muttered while tracing every letter with his eyes.

Shownu stared at his friend's profile, "Are you mad?"

"I'm fucking livid." Wonho breathed out with a soulless laugh.

Shownu sighed and nodded, "I think it's best if we don't stay here tonight. I don't want us to be around if he decides to escalate his vandalism."

"Well, the Son estates are pretty publicized. I don't think there's anywhere we can go that he can't find us." Wonho said quietly, still refusing to look at his friend.

Shownu nodded understandably, "Yeah but Hyerin's personal properties have been kept under wraps, so I'll fill her in and we can just borrow one of her places for the night."

"Why won't he just leave her alone? He obviously doesn't love her, so why does he want her back so badly?" Wonho asked softly.

Shownu shrugged and slipped his hands into the pockets of his sweatpants, "It's a power move. Someone finally left him and finally said no to him. He finally didn't have it his way so now he wants her more than ever."

"So he won't _ever_ let her be." Wonho said as his face fell.

Shownu looked down at his feet, "One step at a time, Wonho."

\-----

"Oh my god." Yena mumbled, shaking as she stared at the picture that Shownu had sent Hyerin to show her, "Namjoon did this?"

"That's what they're thinking." Hyerin said softly, "They want you to be alert and careful if anything ever feels strange."

Yena dropped her head in her hands, "This is horrible."

"Hey, hey, come on, this is nothing." Hyerin said softly. "He's obviously nervous which is why he's doing something like this. That means you can't give up."

Yena shot her friend a dry look, "This is horrible, this is all because of me."

"Do you want to know why he did this to the guys' door?" Hyerin asked with a lift in her voice.

Yena wiped her face, "Because of Shownu and Wonho? He must've gotten the restraining order."

"No, idiot. It's because he didn't know how to get to _you_. He doesn't know where you are so he went to the next closest thing which was them. This is good. This means that he isn't as powerful as he made you believe." Hyerin said gently.

Yena looked unsure while she played with her fingers before Hyerin laced their fingers together.

"Okay, this is what we're going to do. I'm going to go to the bank and run a few errands for my dad and then me and you are going to spend the day out. Sounds good?"

Yena smiled slowly before nodding, "Sounds great, but can you drop me off somewhere before you run your errands?"

\-----

Wonho groaned when he rolled his neck.

It was like everything was going wrong at work.

He couldn't fix the engine he was working on and the new shipment of tires were coming in late which meant that his entire schedule was going to be pushed back until they arrived which meant that he'd have to be pulling some late nights.

He had long pulled his jacket off and was wearing a loose muscle tank, one that he hadn't worn until he had gotten his tattoo and used his wrist to wipe the sweat dripping off his forehead. The shop always got blunderingly hot when all the mechanics were in working with power tools.

The last time he was this stressed was when he was first starting and only knew the basics. And he knew the catalyst behind it was the fucking message on the door.

He was so strung up that it felt like his own hands weren't working.

"Fuck!" He hissed loudly when he sliced his palm on something sharp. He shook his hand to try to get rid of the initial pain before he inspected the damage. He cursed under his breath when he saw blood and sighed, knowing he had another problem he needed to deal with now.

He grabbed a rag and pressed it against the wound before turning to his office when he stopped in his tracks.

Yena was seated on the bench with earphones plugged in her ears, her head was tilted back and her eyes were closed but she didn't look asleep. He stared at her for a second before looking around, bewildered.

When the hell did she come in?

He walked over to her and just as his shadow covered the light, she opened her eyes and lifted her head up to look at him. Her lips lifted up and she pulled her earphones out before sitting up properly.

"Hey." She said simply.

His lips parted and for a moment he seemed to be at a loss before his brows knit, "What are you doing here?"

"I brought you snacks." She said while nudging the bag on the ground with her feet, "Hyerin's running some errands and she's going to come to pick me up in a bit. I figured you didn't have time to eat so I bought a bunch of gross, unhealthy stuff from the corner store."

He wondered if she had come here because she was scared to be alone while Hyerin was out.

Wonho let out a breath and felt warmth curl up his arms and wrap around his veins, "Let's go to my office." He said with a quiet softness.

He led her to his office, the knots in his body suddenly untangling, as he closed the door after her. "You know, the last person who brought me food to work was Shownu."

"Oh, make sure you tell me when you two tie the knot." She joked while sitting on the chair across from his table.

Wonho rolled his eyes with a grin, "How long have you been waiting?"

"And hour and a half, maybe? I don't really know, I was just listening to music." She said with a laugh.

Wonho snorted before pulling open one of his drawers to search for first aid supplies. Yena watched silently as he used his teeth to uncap a bottle of disinfection spray and sprayed it on his palm before quickly wrapping the gauze around the cut before using his teeth to knot it together.

When he was done, he curled his hand into a fist to test it before looking at her with a grin, "So what'd you buy?"

"Do you always do things like that on your own?" She whispered, her voice laced with sadness.

His smile fell as he looked at his hand, "What do you mean?"

"I just don’t think a person could be that good at patching themselves up on their own unless they've been doing it for a really long time on their own." She said while staring at his bandage.

Wonho gave her a sad smile before walking over to the other side of the table and rested on the edge of it, "I got really good at it when I needed to hide scars."

"O-Oh, right." She said before an embarrassed flush crept up her neck. "Well the next time you need help being patched up, you can ask me, I won't ask questions."

His lips quirked up, "I'll take you up on that."

Yena's phone started to buzz and she glanced at the screen before giving him an apologetic smile, "It's Hyerin, she's here."

"Thanks for stopping by." Wonho said as he opened the door for her, wanting to kiss once before she left but just smiled at her instead.

\-----

It was about 7PM when everyone in Hyerin's other place froze.

The lock on the door was being rattled and Changkyun jumped to his feet and started doing a head count, "Oh my god, we're all here, then who's at the door?" He whispered in fear.

Everyone held their breath until the door knob turned and the door was pushed open.

Shownu groaned and rubbed his face in relief, "Oh god, you scared us. We didn't know who else had the key."

Hyerin rolled her eyes with a smile as she walked in with Yena, "You guys are babies. We brought you dinner so you don't starve."

"Come in the kitchen." Shownu said with a nod of his head.

"W-wait." Yena called out, making everyone look at her. "Um…I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about what he did to your door. I'm sorry he made you guys put your lives on hold by making you leave your home to stay somewhere else. If I hadn't gotten you guys involved, he wouldn't have bothered you. So I'm sorry you have to deal with this extra mess because of me."

She let out a relieved breath, glad that she had gotten that off her chest and looked at everyone, expecting a response.

Hyungwon frowned and narrowed his eyes, "What the fuck?"

"P-Pardon?"

"Why the fuck are you apologizing for him? _I'm sorry that he did that. I'm sorry that he did this._ You're not his fiancée anymore, you don't need to vouch for him. What the hell?" He balked.

Jooheon rolled his eyes, "What he's trying to say is that you don't to apologize because we don't blame and you're not at fault. It's Namjoon who fucked up, not you, so don't feel bad."

Minhyuk threw a cushion at Hyungwon, "You have no tact."

Hyerin shook her head before looking at Shownu, "Where's Wonho?"

"Balcony." He said while glancing at the opened sliding doors.

Hyerin looked over at Yena and shrugged helplessly before following Shownu into the kitchen to plate the food. Yena looked at the others guys who were staring at her and smiled at them awkwardly before walking over to the balcony.

"I mean," Kihyun whispered to the others, "It's like she doesn't even know we exist when Wonho's around."

\-----

Wonho was leaned over the railing, deep in thought, blowing smoke into the air while he tapped the ashes against the metal pole.

"You're smoking again."

Wonho jumped and spun around, his eyes wide when he saw Yena standing near the door, "W-What are you doing here? Is everything okay?"

"Hyerin brought dinner." She said while pointing over her shoulder.

Wonho stared at her and took one last deep drag of his cigarette before stubbing it out on the railing.

Yena tilted her head, "What made you start smoking again? I thought you quit."

"Easier said than done." He said while inspecting her face, "How are you holding up?"

She hummed and looked straight forward, "Barely hanging on but okay."

He glanced down at her hands that were shaking when she tried to reach for the railing. She must've been a lot more affected by Namjoon's message than she had let on when she saw him at work.

His brows knit and his heart coiled up as he watched her longingly. He reached over and curled his fingers around her upper arm and pulled her over until she was standing in front of him. Yena's eyes were wide but before she could question him, he crowded her back with his chest and pressed her against the railing. She reached out and held onto the railing while he shoved his hands into his pockets.

"One thing." He whispered in her ear, "One thing went wrong but that doesn't mean it's the end. It doesn't mean you've lost."

He was so warm and she felt the weight in her chest lessen, "Just one thing."

"Namjoon has never deserved someone like you, he'll pay for everything he's ever done."

Yena frowned, wondering what exactly Wonho meant by that but stayed silent, knowing that now wasn't the time, but it was something that had bugged her for the longest time.

What vendetta did Namjoon have on Wonho and what resentment did Wonho feel towards Namjoon?

He ran the tip of his nose down a patch of her skin before pulling away from her, "Let's go inside and grab some dinner."

\-----

The seven of them were spread out in the living room eating, talking and laughing before Shownu turned to Hyerin and Yena who were seated next to each other.

"Honestly, at this rate why don't you two just spend the night here?"

Yena blinked up at him with raised brows, "You want us to sleep over?"

"Why not? I'll grab a bunch of blankets and pillows and we'll move the couch and just sleep out here. It's late for you guys to drive back anyways. We can make a night out of it." He said in exasperation.

Yena laughed, making Shownu frown, "What? Why are you laughing?"

"You really like keeping people under one roof, don't you?" She quipped, making Wonho snort when he passed by to walk into the kitchen.

Shownu rolled his eyes with a light smile as he looked at the two of them, "Only people I actually give a damn about."

\-----

Yena found herself wedged between Hyerin and Wonho with Shownu on the other side of Hyerin while the rest of the boys were spread out across the floor, sleeping on top of each other.

They had played a movie but before they had even reached the mid-way point, all of them except Wonho and Yena had fallen asleep, but Wonho was damn close, his eyelids feeling heavy. His arm was propping his head up as he stared at the screen in front of him, barely paying attention.

A sense of relief washed over him when the credits started to roll and a long yawn escaped his lips as he finally closed his eyes.

And then he felt a warm hand grip his shoulder, "Wonho? Are you awake?"

He let out a soft grunt and peeled his eyes open to see Yena leaning so close to him that their noses were pressed together.

"No."

She gave him a sheepish smile, "I'm sorry, I just…this has been bugging me for so long and you always avoid the topic but I need to know the truth."

"What are you talking about?" He whispered with a frown, his voice husky.

She looked nervous before finally blurting out her question in a broken whisper, "Why do you and Namjoon hate each other? And I'd like a _real_ answer, please."

"Yena…" He whispered warily. "It really doesn't matter."

She rested her chin on his bicep, his scent wafting towards her as she peered up at him, "Then tell me."

He stared up at the ceiling deep in thought before sighing in resignation. She already left Namjoon, she already despised him and didn't want to be with him anymore. It wasn't like telling her the truth would make her change the way she saw Namjoon which was what stopped him from coming clean before.

Deciding on giving in, he gave her look, "Get up, I want to show you something."

Yena looked a bit surprised before sitting up. Wonho walked to one of the room and came out with a sweater of his. He dropped it in her lap and nodded at the door. She quickly pulled it over her head and followed him to the door while helping her tip toe around the sleeping bodies.

He picked up Shownu's keys and glanced back, making sure everyone was asleep but instead saw Hyerin staring at him from beneath Shownu's arm.

She didn't stop him and Yena and just closed her eyes and faced away into Shownu's chest.

\-----

The drive was silent until they reached a lake.

It was a nameless lake, one that wouldn't have even appeared on a map.

Wonho's knuckles whitened the closer they got.

Wonho pulled up by the highway guardrails and turned the emergency lights on before they just stared at the way the moon reflected on the lake.

"I didn't tell you the whole truth about Gunnhee." Wonho started slowly. "Me and Namjoon went to the same highschool, he was the spoiled rich kid who's dad could buy him out of any failed grade or skipped class. His father was and still is powerful. So when someone spread a rumour that kids on campus were selling uppers, Namjoon and his dad covered it up and pinned the whole thing on Gunhee."

Yena felt her heart drop, "W-Wait, so the person who you thought framed Gunhee was Namjoon?"

"Hyungwon had seen them by his locker a few hours before the principle and police officers checked it. We tried to tell someone but everyone thought that we were just trying to pin the blame on someone else to save our friend." Wonho said, sparing her of the details. "No one believed us, but I think no one _could_ believe us because his father _donated_ money to look the other way if new information or evidence ever came up." 

Yena sat back, stunned, "I'm so sorry. I-I wish I knew. I wish I could've done something while I still lived ther--"

"It's not your problem Yena. You don't need to feel responsible for how it turned out. You didn't even know him until after." Wonho said with a type of calmness that came with years of dealing with demons.

Wonho smiled facetiously, "It's ironic, isn't it? Namjoon used to be the hero in your story but he's always been the villain in mine."

Yena's eyes dropped to her lap as she tried to absorb the new information, "It makes sense though."

"What do you mean?" He asked with a frown.

Yena looked over at him bitterly, "I caught Namjoon doing cocaine in his office. I wouldn't be surprised that he had a past with drugs too."

"I used to feel bad for him before the Gunhee thing. He hated his life and acted out to get back at his father but the thing is, his father never cared about him. If he did, he wouldn't have thrown money at his mistakes, he would've made him own up to it. But after awhile I stopped making excuses for him. I hated him." Wonho admitted.

Yena's brows furrowed suddenly, "So wait, your issue with Namjoon had nothing to do with your ex?"

"My ex?" Wonho asked in confusion, "No. I had like one girlfriend in highschool it was like in the 9th grade and we 'dated' for a month and then she moved. We barely held hands. What would she have to do with Namjoon?"

Yena's face darkened, "Namjoon told me that you had a girlfriend who cheated on you with him and then left you for him and you resented Namjoon for that ever since."

"Are you kidding me? That's what he told you? Wow. That one girl I dated never cheated on me, she didn't even know Namjoon and she left long before any of us crossed paths with him. But Namjoon did have a girlfriend in senior year, she was just like him but not rich. She was a rebel, the typical highschool troublemaker with no future. I heard she moved to the states or something before she graduated." Wonho explained.

Yena's face scrunched up, "Why would he lie about that?"

"To make me seem bitter, maybe? So that you'd think that anything mean I say about him isn't true and is just me being jealous and hateful?" He said, annoyed.

Yena leaned her head back, "I can't believe this. He's a compulsive liar."

Wonho shook his head dubiously, "Namjoon and his father made my life a living hell. I don't even think they realized how much they fucked me up, but I don't think they would even care."

"His father?" She asked, confused.

He closed his eyes and gripped the wheel tightly, "I lied about my parents. They didn't die in a car crash. They killed themselves and tried to kill me too."

\-----

_"When we come back, we'll hear updates on the harassment allegations filed against one of the front-runners for CEO and now former employee of Paramount Incorporated."_

_Wonho's mother turned off the radio while his father sped down the freeway._

_"Where are we going?" Wonho asked, breaking the silence._

_It had been a while since he saw his parents. Ever since the secretary at his father's office accused him of harassment, his parents have always been back and forth talking to their lawyer and meeting with the company._ _A month ago, his dad was sure he would be the next CEO once the current one stepped down and now his father was fired and everyone around the country, even their own relatives were turning their backs on them because they all thought he was a molester_. _It felt like the rumours were more damaging to his family than the actual allegation and part of him was glad he wasn't living with his parents because then he wouldn't have to witness the crying and fighting._

_Wonho had taken a year off before applying to university after Gunhee's death and was staying with his uncle so he was more than shocked to see his mom and dad in front of his uncle's house, saying they were going on a trip._

_"We're almost there, son." His father's voice was worn out and thick with unshed tears. "Just a little longer."_

_He caught sight of a sign passing by and frowned, "The lake? Why are we going to the lake in fall?"_

_His parents glanced at each other before looking forward, neither of them offering him an answer._

_Wonho frowned and just stared out the window, wondering if Gunhee would've liked coming to the lake. He wondered why they had never gone camping by the lake, Gunhee would've loved that._

_After driving for a bit longer in stone cold silence, they finally pulled into the entrance of the lake. His father paid the parking fare but drove passed the parking lot and wove over the grassy terrain. Wonho was bewildered until he craned his neck forward and realized that he dad was driving downhill, at full speed, straight for the lake._

_"D-Dad? Why aren't we slowing down? M-Mom? We're going to go into the lake! Dad stop the car! Mom, do SOMETHING!"_

_"Don't worry, baby" His mother said, turning in her seat to smile at him reassuringly, which was a stark contrast to the tears running down her face. "We're all together. It'll be okay. Just close your eyes and hold your breath, it'll be okay. Everything is going to be better now. It's all going to go away. We don't need to live in shame anymore. The rumours, the dirty looks, our reputation will all be gone now. We can be happy."_

_Wonho's body froze with shock as he stared at his dad, "D-Dad? Stop the car! Please!"_

_"I'm sorry son." His father whispered as the car sped up, "I'm sorry I did this to you and your mom. What they saying are all lies, I didn't do anything to that woman but I'm still so sorry. I'm sorry I let this family down. I love you son."_

_"M-Mom?"_

_"I love you both."_

_The car slammed into the lake and panic filled his system as the vehicle sank lower and lower._

_"What the hell? Mom,what the fuck!" He screamed while unbuckling his seatbelt._

_His parents were deathly calm, "It's going to all go away now. Just close your eyes."_

_Wonho stared at the back of his parents head before tears filled his eyes, "No. No. No. No! Don't so this. No."_

_He fumbled with the lock on the door, "Mom! Dad! Let's get out. Please! Before the car sinks. This is a mistake."_

_They didn't reply._

_Without seeing any other choice, Wonho rolled the window down, letting the water gush in and forced his body out through the small window before swimming away. His muscles burned and his lungs were screaming in pain but he still glanced over his shoulder to see the car with his mom and dad sinking to the bottom of the lake._

_He continued up, slicing through the water the best he could until he broke through the surface of the water with a desperate gasp. His eyes were burning as he tried to stay afloat before being lifted up onto the bank of the lake._

_He coughed, choking on the lake water before he realized that someone must've seen the car veer off and had called the police because there were ambulances, fire trucks, police cars and boats littering the lake._

_How long was he down there?_

_"Son, who else is down there? How many people?" Someone barked at him._

_He coughed and weakly held up two fingers before the person started shouting out orders to other people. He felt a towel drape his shoulders and was being taken to the back of any ambulance, but everything was a blur._

_He couldn't hear anything, he couldn't open his mouth to speak and he couldn't get tears to fall._

_He was numb._

_And a half an hour later when a crane pulled his parent's car out from the bottom of the lake. their bodies hanging lifelessly against their seatbelts, he realized that he wasn't just numb._

_He was an orphan._

_And a month later, Kim Namjoon's dad, the father of the kid who framed Gunhee and the man who helped keep it under wraps, was named the new CEO of Paramount Incorporated_

_He was the assumed runner up before the allegations._

_Wonho should've known._

_Like father, like son._

_They both had a thirst for framing other people._

_4 months later, Paramount Incorporated was renamed Kim Inc._

\-----

Wonho was leaning his back on the hood of the car, his feet dangling off the edge while playing with his lighter and staring up at the sky.

Yena was still inside, reeling from the tragic story he just told her, one that left her in tears. He couldn't sit through her tears, so he left and just stood in front of the car.

He remembered wanting to join Gunhee after his parents died.

He didn't want to live anymore and part of him wished that he didn't escape through the window.

That he just died with his parents.

That was when everything went downhill.

He slid his arm under his head and moved his eyes to the flickering flame.

But somehow the universe didn't want him to give up and he survived through hell and back.

And he was still here.

He just didn't know why.

This would be the perfect time for a smoke, but the mere idea of the taste of tobacco made him feel sick.

He felt the car shift when the door slammed and he figured that Yena had felt ready to say something to him. He continued flicking the lighter until she was standing next to him. He looked over at her and found her watching him. They shared a long look before Yena carefully climbed up on the hood of the car and rested her head against his chest before carefully wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him.

Wonho stilled before flicking off his lighter, sliding his arm under her neck and pulling her tightly against him. She didn't say a word and just held him and Wonho couldn't ask for anything more from her.

This was all he needed. 

She nuzzled herself closer to him so that her head was brushing against his nose. Wonho closed his eyes and just trailed his fingers up and down her arm, relishing in the comfortable heat that made him want to erase his past.

He wanted his life to begin from this exact moment.

He didn't want to exist before now.

So when he tilted his head down, he made sure to kiss her on the head, even if it was the slightest brush that she couldn't feel. 


	34. Chapter 34

**[Soft trigger warning]**

"What the heck is this?" Yena breathed out the next morning while reading the morning paper.

Everyone else was still asleep…well, not everyone.

Wonho was sitting next to her, eating breakfast while reading over her shoulder. His brows raised in intrigue as he read the headline.

_Heir K of L Incorporated has a history with drugs?_

She flipped to the page and scanned the article, "The young future heir of L incorporated has been revealed to have a scandalous past of drugs that led back to his high school days. There has been no talks of investigations to dig further into this case which prompts questions of a cover up involving corrupt cops being paid off by the current CEO."

She looked over at Wonho, "Is this about Namjoon?"

"I have no idea, I swear." He said before setting his bowl down to dig out his phone.

Yena continued reading the article while Wonho scrolled through his phone, "Check this out." He said, showing her his phone.

Wonho had pulled up the comments on the online version of the articles.

_[+1,234, -658] This sounds like Kim Namjoon, doesn't it?_

_[+865,-327] If he's young then it has to be Namjoon, right?_

_[+621,-12] He doesn't seem like the kind but maybe that's why his fiancée was out partying_

_[+413, -53] There are not that many Inc heirs that are young. Mr. Journalist, just say Namjoon's name next time, there's no point in trying to cover it up._

_[+325, -32] They're done now._

_[+102, -9] I feel bad for his wife now._

"I can't believe this." She whispered while looking at Wonho, "How did the journalist get this information?"

Wonho shrugged just as Hyungwon strode into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes, "I had to shower for 2 hours after writing that article."

"What are you talking about?" Yena asked with widened eyes.

Hyungwon made a face, "I mean, I enjoyed every second of it, but writing tabloids make me feel gross and skivvy. I didn't spend 4 years in university for this."

"You wrote this?" Wonho asked, surprised. He picked up the newspaper and frowned, "You're name isn't on it."

Hyungwon picked up Wonho's bowl and started eating from it, "It's called a pen name, idiot."

"W-Why did you do that?" Yena asked quietly while staring up at him.

Hyungwon shrugged and grinned at Wonho, "Figured that he's not the only one that can manipulate articles."

"Fucking evil genius." Wonho said with a laugh.

\-----

Namjoon's father entered his office and saw an employee of his waiting for him.

"How the hell did this get out?" He growled while throwing the newspaper down on the table.

The man flinched and glanced at the paper before hanging his head low, "I'm not sure, sir. I've been trying to trace the name of the journalist back but they don't exist. No one at the paper knows who it is but I've got them to stop production and they will be taking the article off their website."

"It's too fucking late for that now!" His father boomed. "The public is already piecing Namjoon together as Heir K. His image is shot to hell and if anyone decides to look into it, he'll be in prison and then he won't be able to even face the public."

The man shifted on his heels, "He won't be the only one who might get exposed, sir and if he decides to speak up about the lake, Namjoon might end up with more jail time."

Namjoon's dad's head snapped up glared at the man in front of him before narrowing his eyes, "Has he responded?"

"He's rejected the settlement and is still ignoring my calls. He doesn't want to sign because of the non-disclosure clause." The man explained.

Mr. Kim's brow twitched as he scowled, "You're his uncle. He lived with you for years after his little friend died. Why isn't he giving you the time of day?"

"He feels betrayed by me ever since I started working here, sir." Wonho's uncle said firmly. "But I'll continue to reach out to him, sir."

Namjoon's father looked unimpressed, "Never mind. Make sure you use today to your advantage with him."

"Today?" Wonho's uncle asked in confusion.

Namjoon's father smiled slightly before turning his back, facing the large windows in his office.

"Today's his parents' death anniversary."

\-----

Wonho didn't like thinking about today.

He wasn't like other people on the death anniversary of his loved ones. He never visited their graves, he never brought flowers and he never made the traditional meal that was supposed to be offered to the spirits of the departed.

He just spent it like any other day.

He's wake up, go to work, come home, have dinner, mess around with the guys and then go to sleep.

Nothing more.

It was easier to make it through the day without thinking about something that just made time move slower.

Getting through the morning was usually the hardest part because it was like his body was naturally attuned to remember this date and he'd have to fight to push it out of his head. But it was a lot easier today with Yena around.

Although it did make him yearn for having her around _every_ morning.

He was in the middle of filling out some paperwork when he felt his phone buzz against his hip and kept his eyes on the form he was filling out while taking his phone out and answering it without checking the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"You picked up."

Wonho froze, his blood running cold as his pen slipped from his fingers. He pulled his phone back and stared hopelessly at the name.

 _The Devil_.

"Make this quick." Wonho growled when he heard his uncle clear his voice.

He lived with him for two years. He was the man that tried to help him put his life back together after Gunhee but right before his parents died, he started getting close to Namjoon's dad and then became his second hand man.

Wonho didn't think there was a more pathetic form a human being out there.

"I know that the non-disclosure clause is putting you off, but we're willing to double our settlement offer if you sign." His uncle persisted, not bothering with small talk.

"Is that all?" Wonho asked, sounding bored even though his fist curled with rage.

His uncle sighed, "Wonho--"

"I find it strange." Wonho breathed out, "That you're trying so hard to get me to sign this thing even after all these years. There must really be something the pair of them want to hide."

"I'm just try--"

Wonho smiled dryly, "It makes me not want to sign it even more."

"Wonho, what happened to your parents was horrible, but you can't take that out on anyone else. It was their choice to end their lives. No one here at the company made them do that." His uncle tried to argue.

Wonho laughed sardonically, "No one? Not even the man that paid off that secretary to lie about being harassed so that he could be CEO?"

"This is a business, Wonho. It's survival of the fittest." It was strange, hearing such cold words come being said in such a sad, apologetic and self-deprecating tone. "If you don't hide your weaknesses, someone will find them and use it to take you down."

Wonho snickered, "Survival of the fittest. Is that why you guys are on the brink of bankruptcy? Because you've _killed_ the fittest and just left the scavengers that feed off the lives and the work of others?"

"W-Wait, what do mean bankrup--"

"Consider this number blocked."

\-----

No one was there when Wonho finished work.

That was normal for him, most of the guys had pretty rough hours other than him and Shownu. In desperate need for a shower, Wonho kicked his shoes off, dropped his helmet and bag on the table and headed to his room, but before he could make it there, he felt his phone buzz.

Groaning, he rubbed his eyes and answered the call thoughtlessly, "Hello?"

"I'm guessing you got the message on the door."

He really needed to start checking his caller ID before answering his phone.

"How the fuck did you get this number?" Wonho growled as he came to a stop by his door.

Namjoon hummed, "I got it off your uncle."

"Yeah, well, don't ever call it again and don't expect me to ever pick up if you do." He muttered and right before he could hang up, Namjoon's voice chirped through, making him stop.

"You want to protect her, don't you? You're so desperately in love with her and you hate my mere existence that you'd do anything to keep her away from me, won't you?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Wonho hissed through his clenched teeth.

He could hear the smug grin in Namjoon's voice, "I have a proposition for you."

"Fuck off." Wonho spat, his brows knit together, "I'm not making deals with you."

"What if they involved Yena?"

Wonho hesitated, his fingers twitching as he gulped, "What do you mean?"

"I knew that'd get your attention." Namjoon said with a laugh. "I'll promise to honour the restraining order and completely back away off of Yena. I won't ever cross her paths and leave her totally alone if you do me a favour."

Wonho felt alarms go off in his head, "What favour?"

"Come work for my father."

Wonho felt the blood drain from his face as his heart pounded painfully in his chest. He could feel the air around him constrict and start to push up against him from all sides.

"Just like your father would be…you know, if he didn't kill himself."

Wonho let out a gasp of air as his lungs squeezed and stopped him from breathing properly. His vision started to blur and he even stumbled, nearly collapsing as he fought back familiar feelings. Feelings of panic, of anxiety, feelings that he had thought he had weeded out years ago.

"Fuck you." He wheezed out as he leaned against the wall, no longer able to hold himself up. He slid to the floor and crouched over to press his forehead to the ground as tears brimmed his eyes.

Namjoon made a sound of fake pity, "What a shame. I thought it would be endearing to see you in your father's shoes, working under the man who took it all away from you. It'd be a really tragically beautiful picture."

Wonho didn't reply and just hit his head against the floor, trying to make the pain come from somewhere else. Somewhere that wasn't his chest.

"And you're sure you won't do it?" Namjoon asked teasingly when he didn't hear a response, "Not even for my Yena?"

It was like Namjoon could see the physical state Wonho was in, curled up into himself, and was amused by how much power he held over the man that he had barely had one full conversation with.

Wonho squeezed his eyes shut, his lips hitching into a silent growl as he fought off the pain in his chest. Tears slipped down his cheeks as he thought about the girl he was so in love with that he had thought he could do anything for her.

"Not even for her." Wonho rasped out, choking back the broken sob building in this throat.

He couldn't remember what Namjoon said after that or when he hung up, he just stayed crouched in a ball as terrifying memories of his parents started flooding back. He shifted his head so that it could stare straight across the living room, into the bathroom.

Swallowing deeply, she pushed himself up off the ground and stumbled towards the bathroom just as the front door opened. He didn't even glance at Shownu who was taking his shoes off.

"Hey man, how was wor--" Shownu jumped when Wonho slammed the bathroom door before locking it.

Shownu gaped at the bathroom door before spotting Wonho's phone on the ground. He walked over to it and picked it up before turning it on. He stared at the last the number he picked up and frowned when it looked familiar.

Shownu pulled his own phone and started dialling the number until the drop down bar listed contacts on his phone with a similar number. One in particular, caught his eye.

Namjoon. K

"Fuck." Shownu whispered before checking the length of the call.

26 minutes.

Then a horrific thought crossed his mind.

One that he wish didn't.

He left his razor on the counter that morning.

"Wonho!" He yelled, running to the door, slamming his fists against the wood, "Wonho! Open the door!"

Wonho flinched as he sat on the corner of the bathtub with Shownu's razor's on the ground, next to his feet, with its blade held carefully between his fingers.

He just wanted to feel pain somewhere that wasn't his chest.

Tears slipped down his chin as he tried to fight off the crushing weight of anxiety, A feeling he hadn't experienced for years. A feeling that he didn't think he'd need to experience ever again. A feeling he thought was long passed him.

He wanted to just smash his fist into the mirror but he knew Yena would fuss if she saw his knuckles in the aftermath.

Shownu's voice was echoing in the background with pleas as he continued trying to smash the door down. Wonho, for the life of him, couldn't make himself hear what Shownu was saying. It was just flying over his head like it did before. Like he was numb from the inside out and couldn't make out the emotions in other people.

He hissed when the blade accidentally dug into the hand that was holding it, snapping out of his daze. He had accidently pressed his palm into the sharp end and it stung as a bead of blood curled through the cut. His stomach curled when he didn't like the way the pain felt.

His body trembled with frustration. It was like there were stones tied to his ankles, pulling him down until he was sinking to the deepest depths of his mind. He wanted to scream at himself to get out of that place in his head but it was hard to listen.

Wonho stared at the beautiful phoenix on his arm, the one that was supposed to represent his rebirth and remind himself of the resilience that Gunhee had left him with. He set the blade on top of the tattoo and took a moment to see the ugly contrast of the powerful design and the disgusting blade.

His old cuts were invisible.

"Wonho! Please! Come out and talk to me!" Shownu pleaded as he continued to beat at the door. "Don't do this!"

There was a moment of silence when Shonwu's voice fell mute and the pounding on the door stopped and for a second, Wonho thought he had left until his voice cut through to him for the first time, much softer and less frantic.

"Yena's calling you."

Wonho's eyes widened when Shownu pressed his cellphone against the door so that he could hear the sound of it vibrating. Wonho turned his head to the door where Shownu slid his phone under the door.

Wonho slowly stood up, the blade still in one hand and bent down to pick up the phone.

_Red_

He swiped the call and stared blankly at the screen before holding it up to his ear. He didn't speak first and just heard some shuffling around before her voice picked up.

"Are you busy, right now?" She asked with a sigh.

He took a moment to level his voice, "No." he said quietly while staring at the razor. "I'm not busy."

"Okay good, because I've had the worst day so buckle in and get ready for a long ass rant." She snorted.

Wonho slowly walked back to the tub and sat on the side before quietly listening to Yena explain missing the bus, nearly getting caught in the rain, accidentally ripping the nice shirt Hyerin lent her and how she ate half a cup of yogurt before finding out that it was expired.

There was a beat of silence when she finished talking before she huffed, "So how was your day?"

He found his lips tilting up, something beyond his ability of comprehension, "Difficult."

"Sounds like an understatement." She quipped.

Wonho let out a chuckle and looked down, the heat from his body evaporating. Suddenly the sight of the blade looked revolting so he stretched his fingers open and let it slip through the gaps, falling to the ground with a clatter.

"It is. A really big understatement." He admitted tiredly. "I really respect you, Yena."

There was a pause before she spoke, "Why?"

"It's really hard to start fresh." He croaked out. "It's hard not to fall back on old habits. You always have to remind yourself not to fuck up all your progress and it's hard to keep doing that and not just pushing it away, avoiding it. And you manage to do that really well."

Silence filled the line again before she spoke, "Can I come over?"

"Now?" He asked, sitting up.

She hummed, "I can take Hyerin's car."

"S-Sure." He whispered.

"Be there in 20." She mumbled before hanging up.

Wonho stared at his phone before picking up the blade and sliding it into the razor and setting it back on the counter. He stood up and opened the door only to find Shownu on the ground, leaning his back against it. He yelped when he nearly fell back and caught himself before standing up in a rush.

Shownu glanced over Wonho's shoulder and stared at the razor before looking back at Wonho who just shook his head.

"Where are you going?" Shownu muttered out when he saw Wonho heading for the front door.

"Yena's coming over." Wonho said simply.

Shownu looked heartbroken, "Wonho…"

"Thank you." He said softly. "Thank you for coming home. Thank you for trying to break the door down. Thank you for giving me my phone when she called. Thank you for waiting by the door for me to come out."

Shownu opened his mouth but nothing came out when Wonho said one last thing.

"Thank you for never giving up on me."

\-----

Wonho found her standing in the lobby in a pair of jeans that did her legs justice and a sweater that made her look tiny.

"Hey, what's up?" He called out when he walked out from the elevator.

Yena pouted and stretched her arms out and Wonho felt his heart flip before his own arms came naturally around her waist and pulled her to him. He wasn't that familiar with Yena being that open to hugging or touching him like that but he wasn't going to let this rare moment pass that easily. He closed his eyes and sank in her warmth, letting her bring peace to his mind.

Yena tightened her arms around his neck and sighed. She wasn't used to a man being that gentle and that soft when he touched her, like she was made of something special. He pulled her closer and she welcomed the steady warmth that radiated off of him. She slowly swayed him side to side.

"Is everything okay?" She whispered into his neck.

He blinked before it dawned on him, "You know about today."

"Yeah." She said softly, she wanted to know more about his parents' accident and did some research before stumbling upon the date.

Today's date.

Wonho's lips curled up, he was usually the one that would ask her something like that, "I'm fine, Red. A lot better, now."

He chose to leave out his near relapse.

She pulled back and held his shoulders before surveying his face, "You sure?"

"I'm sure." He said kindly before sliding his hands off her waist, "Want to go for a walk?"

She nodded and shoved her hands into her sweater pockets and the two of them strolled around the block until they ended back up in the park where their secret friendship had first started.

Unlike before, they walked to a different part of the park, one with a small swing set and slide for kids. Nothing had to be spoken between them as they took a swing each and just swayed forward and backward.

"Did Namjoon have anything to do with your bad day?" She asked, finally breaking the silence.

Wonho kicked at the sand as he swung, using the tip of his foot to drag across it, "Why would you think so?"

"Ever since Hyungwon published that article, I was worried he would try something again." She said nervously.

Wonho couldn't find it in his heart to say anything to her so he just smiled, "Don't worry about us, okay? It's one of him and seven of us."

"I know…" Her voice trailed off in thought until her eyes caught something. "Oh!"

She twisted her swing so that it faced him before using her feet to push herself closer to him. He watched in confusion as she took his hand and turned it on its palm before digging something out of her pocket. She pulled out a small band-aid and ripped it open with her teeth before smoothing it over his small cut.

"There we go!" She said happily.

Wonho blinked before glancing up at her, "Don't you want to know how I got it?"

"I said that I wouldn't ask questions." She said before lifting her feet so that she swung back, away from him, back to her original place.

As if it was reactionary to keep her close, Wonho grabbed the chain of the swing Yena was on and yank it towards him.

Yena yelped and her hands shot out to the chains in order to keep her balance. She looked over at Wonho, bewildered but only found her palms getting sweaty. Wonho was staring at her, his eyes thick and dark and his lids heavy, like he was intoxicated. His eyes darted to her lips and she held her breath when he leaned close to her. His lips were aligned with hers and on instinct, she tilted her head up so that her lips were welcoming to his.

She could hear the hitch in his breath like he couldn't believe she was reacting to him. His eyes darted up to hers while their lips hung over each other.

Instead, he just moved his head back and forth a couple of times, so that their noses brushed against each other in an act of affection before he let go of her swing, letting her sway away from him. Yena was trembling as her swing moved in slow circles and just stared at Wonho's profile.

Whenever she was around him, she felt like she was on fire.

"God." Wonho breathed out, catching her attention, "You don't know how good you make me feel. I almost feel selfish. You're so…I don't know…warm, I guess."

Yena felt her heart skip when he used the same word that she had always felt about him. She hummed and reached out to press the tips of her fingers against his neck. Wonho flinched and shrieked, making her laugh.

"Why are your fingers so cold?!" He balked.

Yena just laughed and jumped off her swing and started chasing after him with her hands outstretched. She was enthralled by the way his demeanour changed, how it was like his entire body lit up energetically.

"Get away from me, ice woman!" He yelled as he ran away from her.

She could barely keep up between her laughter but she continued to run after him, wiggling her finger threateningly at him. Changing tactics, Wonho spun on his heel and ran at her and before she could stop, he grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up over his shoulder.

"We need to get you to the car and warm you up before you freeze." He proclaimed, fighting back his own laughs when he felt the vibrations of Yena's laughter run through her body and buzz against his shoulder.

He carried her the rest of the way to her car and even she had given up trying to make him put her down and just resorted to playing music on her phone. Finally, he set her down right next to her car and rested his hands on his hips before leaning back with a groan.

Yena scoffed and punched his shoulder, "You can't complain about how heavy I am when I _told_ you to put me down like a dozen times."

"Have a good night, Red." Wonho snickered.

Yena rolled her eyes with a smile and unlocked the car, "Good night, Wonho."

 _Yeah_. He thought to himself.

It was going to be a good night.


	35. Chapter 35

"I heard you had a moment last night." Kihyun asked when he saw Wonho walk around the apartment the next afternoon.

Wonho glanced at him before shrugging, "Yeah well moments pass."

"So you're okay now?" He asked, unsure. 

Wonho paused, Namjoon's offer replaying in his head before looking away from Kihyun, "It is what it is."

"That's not an answer." He replied with a frown.

Wonho looked over at him and shrugged, "It's because I don't have one."

\-----

"So I'll pick you up in an hour?" Hyerin asked as she dropped Yena off at Jiaen's clinic.

Yena hummed and looked over at her, "Are you sure you don't want to come in and see her?"

"I would love to, but I left my phone at home so I need to run down there and grab it." Hyerin said regretfully.

Yena pouted before smiling, "All right, see you then."

Yena waved at her before entering the rehab center and made her way to Jiaen's room. She knocked gently on the door and heard a gentle _come in_ before stepping in.

"Hey." Yena said with a smile when she saw Jiaen sitting on the edge of her bed with a journal in her lap.

The young girl's face lit up as she set the book down, "You're here!"

"I thought I'd drop by and see how you're doing." Yena said while taking a seat across from her.

Jiaen clapped her hands excitedly, "I'm going back to school next week!"

"Oh, I'm so happy for you." Yena cooed as the mean girl she used to know sat in front of her like a young, sweet girl.

"I'm a little scared of what other people are going to say but I figure that I can always stopped by your office, right? Would that be okay?" She asked hopefully.

Yena's smile started to fade, "N-No, um, that won't really be possible. You see, I'm not part of the faculty anymore."

"What?" Jiaen said with a laugh, "What are you talking about?"

Yena couldn't laugh along with her, "I'm serious, Jiaen. I was…fired a while ago."

"W-What? Really? Why? What happened?" She croaked out.

Yena couldn't explain to a student that her psychotic ex bribed the school into firing her, "Just some minor conflicts that we couldn't come to a compromise."

"B-but what am I supposed to do now that you're gone?" Jiaen's voice started to shake and Yena felt her hands tremble as guilty washed over her.

"You'll be okay, Jiaen. Ms. Cho will be there for you, she knows exactly what you're going through and if you ever feel lonely, her door will always be open." Yena said, trying to calm her down.

Jiaen looked away, "I don't want other teachers. You're the one who convinced me to get help and got my parents to let me get help and now you're just walking away?"

"I didn't do anything for you, Jiaen." Yena said meaningfully, "You're the one who admitted that you wanted to get help and _you're_ the one who convinced your parents to let you get therapy when they wouldn't listen to me."

"Bu--"

"You don't need me to be strong, Jiaen. You never did. You just needed yourself. You will be fine at school." Yena pulled her wallet out and took out an old receipt and scribbled her phone number on it, "And if things get too tough, you can always call me."

Jiaen shakingly took the piece of paper and held it tightly in her hand, "Will you visit."

Yena knew that she couldn't, but Jiaen was a child, so she lied.

"Of course, I will." 

\-----

Hyerin swung her front door open and stopped when she saw a manila envelope sitting in the foyer, most likely from being slid under the door.

Her immediate reaction was to be on the defensive, frightened by the mysterious package. Her eyes darted around her house before she slowly knelt down and picked it up. Turning it over in her hands, she found her name written out neatly in thick black letters, piquing her interest.

She opened the envelope and saw a USB and a note inside. She pulled the note out and scanned the thick writing.

_This should help._

Hyerin stared at the USB before a smile spread slyly across her face. She had been waiting for this for a long time and she had almost thought that she wouldn't get anything back.

Shownu's paralegals had come through.

\-----

"Shownu!" Hyerin called out as she entered the apartment, the boys had chosen to continue staying at one of her places.

He was the first one to step out into the living room, looking bewildered at the sight of his girlfriend panting and out of breath before the other guys started to open their doors to see what the commotion was about.

"Oh good, you're all here. Someone bring your laptop." She said while throwing her bag to the side.

Hyungwon frowned but still turned back into his room to grab his laptop while Shownu walked up to his girlfriend cautiously, "Are you okay, hon?"

"Oh my god." She breathed out with a blinding smile before grabbing his face and pressing her lips to his. Shownu's eyes widened before he kissed her back, his eyes still full of doubt and confusion, but he knew better than to not jump on any chance to kiss her, until she pulled away.

"I _fucking_ love your paralegals." She gasped out.

Shownu made a face, "Not something I'm super excited to hear."

"What's going on?" Wonho asked while slipping his hands into his pockets.

She took the laptop from Hyungwon before setting it on the dining table and opening it up, "I asked Shownu to ask some of his underlings to do some background on Namjoon and today they sent this to my apartment."

Everyone fell silent, glancing at each other before greedily crowding around Hyerin to get a glance at the screen.

"What is it?" Changkyun asked.

Hyerin opened the USB's file and stared at the MP4, "It' a video." 

She clicked on it and everyone held their breath as static filled the screen before an unfamiliar face appeared.

_"Shh. Hurry before someone comes." The girl with the thick black liner said. Her hair was long, black and stringy like it hadn't be washed in days, but it looked intentional as if she was going for the grunge look. She had a nose piercing and her lips were coated in red lipstick._

_The voice holding the camera chuckled, "Stop freaking out, babe. Everyone's in class, no one's going to see us."_

_"Namjoon, this isn't funny. I heard the principal say he's going to call the police. This is serious, we need to hurry." She whined, "You said you'd take care of this. If the principal finds out that the pills are mine, I'll have three strikes and I'll be expelled. I can't believe you're making me do this."_

"Wait." Hyungwon said slowly, "I saw this before."

"You saw this video before?" Wonho balked.

Hyungwon shook his head, "Not the video, but this scene. I saw this in person, this was before the principal and the police found the pills in Gun's locker. The only problem was that I was standing too far away to see his girlfriend. I only recognized Namjoon because of his hair."

"They're standing in front of his locker." Minhyuk said in realization, "Look, it's his stupid green lock."

_"It's locker 3095. His combination is 25-52-75-34." He recited Gunhee's locker code._

_The girl snorted, "How do you even know that?"_

_"I got it from the office, now hush. You're the one that wanted to do this fast."_

They all froze when the girl opened Gunhee's locker and revealed a sight that brought them all immense nostalgia. They could see his metal water bottle and his basketball shoved on top of his books.

"Oh my god." Jooheon muttered under his breath as they were all transported back to highschool.

Mere moments before the chain reaction of all horrible things begun.

_"Hide it in his hat." Namjoon instructed at the girl followed his orders and tucked it under his snapback._

_She glanced over her shoulder at him, "Whose locker is this anyways?"_

_"It's that fucking prick that ratted me out for cheating. Pay back's a bitch." he said with a laugh._

"Are you kidding?" Kihyun blurted out, "He did this to Gunhee just because he got in trouble?"

Shownu laughed dryly, "And I bet he didn't even get in trouble. His dad probably bailed him out of it. He just got his pride shot and wanted payback."

_The girl closed Gunhee's locker before leaning her back against it, "Why are you filming this?"_

_"So I have something to blackmail you with." He said, cackling._

_The girl rolled her eyes and punched his shoulder off camera. Namjoon laughed and turned the camera to himself as he wrapped his arm around her and gave her a big kiss. His hair was silver and his eyes were bloodshot._

_"Don't worry, we're in this together, plus it's not that big of a deal and no one's ever going to know."_

The screen filled with static again before turning black.

Everyone stared at the laptop before Shownu sighed and closed the clip before making a copy of it and saving it on Hyungwon's desktop.

"What now?" He lamented.

Hyerin chewed on her lip, "How did your guys even get this?"

"Honestly? They probably hired a freelancer to hack into his computer and copy his hard drive. It wouldn't be the first time we got information like that." Shownu said with a breathy laugh.

"Why would they film this?" Jooheon baulked. "Are they fucking dumb?"

Hyerin snorted, "Trust me, kids aren't smart when they're in highschool. They don't think about the long term."

"Then why would he hold onto it all these years later?" Hyungwon asked.

Shownu rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Probably in case he needed to make sure she didn't open her mouth."

"That's why she left school after Gunhee died." Changkyun worded out slowly, "She must've wanted to come clean so he sent her away and shut her up with a pay day."

"This is unbelievable." Hyerin said in a daze.

Shownu's face was in a look of awe, "I need to give someone a motherfucking raise."

Hyerin looked over at Wonho who had grown deathly silent, "Thoughts?"

Everyone turned and stared at him expectantly, assuming that he'd be thrilled at the fact that they finally had the evidence to fight Namjoon in court.

"We need to find his girlfriend." Wonho said as his brows knit closer together.

Shownu blinked before looking over at his friend, "Why?"

"If his paralegals hired a hacker, a judge won't accept that shit. Unless your guys got a subpoena for his computer files, no one is going to let that be used in court. Even I know that based on watching a few seasons of Law and Order." Wonho mumbled.

Shownu paused and his mind raced before his eyes widened, "You're right. Fuck."

He had become so excited about getting their hands on the video that he hadn't even considered the implications and logistical problems. He couldn't be dropping the ball now, of all times.

"Namjoon told Yena that I had a girlfriend in highschool that cheated on me with him." Wonho said.

Jooheon made a face, "Why the hell would he say that?" 

"I thought he was just trying to make me look petty but now I'm thinking he was trying to cover his tracks. He's trying to distance himself from her by acting like he was with my girlfriend, he doesn't want anyone associating her with him which must mean that she knows something that he doesn't want anyone else to know."

"If that's true, how much do you want to bet that Namjoon and his dad were the reason that a slacker like her got admitted into an Ivy League school?" Hyungwon muttered in disgust.

"Do you remember her name?" Hyerin asked the boys.

"Uh…not really. We didn't really pay attention to Namjoon's circle and I'm pretty sure she was younger too." Kihyun muttered.

Changkyun's face lit up before he scurried to his room, shuffling around in the box of books that he packed, he came back holding a book in his hands, "The yearbook! She should be in my year."

Wonho took the book and flipped through to Changkyun's year before scanning each row, brushing past the unfamiliar faces that made up his student body.

"No. No. No." He muttered after passing each female face.

"Her!" Minhyuk called, pointing to someone's picture.

Wonho squinted his eyes and held the book up closer, "Rewind the video."

Hyerin reached over and rolled the tape back before freezing it on a frame of Namjoon's ex-girlfriend facing straight at the camera. Wonho held the yearbook up to the screen and looked between the picture on the screen and the one in the book.

"I'd say she's a dead ringer." Wonho muttered to himself, "Kang Sori."

"We find her." Hyerin mumbled, catching their attention.

Shownu gave her an unsure look, "That isn't that easy, hon. The last time she used social media was when she changed her status to _going to New York, later bitches xoxo_. There are plenty of Koreans in New York. How are we supposed to track her down?"

She shot Shownu a dirty look, "What school is she in?"

"According to the Facebook group she joined, Cornell." He said with a frown.

"Well, if she's Changkyun's age, she should still be finishing up school, which means she should be in the student directory and have a university issued email. It can't be that hard to track her down that email and find a way to meet up with her." She explained as if she was talking to toddlers.

Minhyuk snorted, "Sure, we'll just say _hey, remember us? Well, we want to talk to you about your ex-boyfriend that framed our best friend for drug dealing which lead to his death. Want to meet for coffee?_ She was obviously paid off, she's not going to risk Namjoon getting her kicked out of school by meeting with us."

"She doesn't have to know why we want to talk to her." Wonho said with a slow smirk, "She doesn't know Hyerin. She's never met her before, so we find out what she's studying and act like Hyerin's looking to hire some fresh talent and wants to meet with her for a short interview and then trap her like that."

"And you called _me_ the evil genius." Hyungwon said with an appreciating laugh.

Wonho shot him half a smile before looking at Hyerin, "Can you find her email and try to get in contact with her?"

"I can call the admission's center and make up some lie." Hyerin said with a nod before knitting her brows. "What about Yena? Do we tell her about this?"

Wonho stared at the paused the video before exiting the screen and closing the laptop, "Not now. This doesn't involve her. This is between us, Gunhee and him."

\-----

"Bankrupt?" Namjoon's father said in disbelief. "What do you mean we're almost bankrupt? That doesn't make sense."

Wonho's uncle kept his hands folded in front of him and kept his head bowed, "I heard a rumour and did some fact checking. Nearly two-thirds of our new investors don't exist and nearly all of the account books have been doctored, sir."

"T-That's impossible. Even if the new investors aren't real, what about our existing ones?" Mr. Kim asked hysterically.

Wonho's uncles looked away, "They seemed to have pulled out after all the rumours. Namjoon must've felt panicked and lied."

"I don't believe this. Where is Namjoon?" He demanded.

He looked over at his boss, "I-I'm not quite sure, sir. I tried calling him and I even went to his house, but I couldn't find him anywhere."

"Well _find_ him and bring him here and get all our investors on the phone. I'll need to do this myself." He growled. "I risked everything to get here and build this company up. He is not going to ruin everything I've worked for."

"I understand, sir. I'll find him." He said firmly.

"Do it and if you can't find it, don't bother coming back to work."

\-----

"You're spoiling me." Yena muttered when Wonho carried her on his back as she wrapped her arms around his shoulder with her chin resting on his shoulder.

He laughed while holding onto the back of her thighs, "Spoiling you? I'm just giving you a piggyback ride because I felt bad for making you come out on a walk with me. How is that spoiling you?"

"If this isn't how you spoil a lady, then I can't wait to see you _actually_ spoil a woman." She joked.

Wonho snickered and walked them towards Hyerin's apartment, "If I was going to spoil you, I'd buy you so many flowers that you'd get mad because it's bringing bugs into the house. I mean, I buy you flowers with the excuse that it's Tuesday or something lame and cheesy like that."

"Wait, most guys buy flowers when their significant others are mad at them. What are you going to do when I get mad that you keep buying flowers?" She asked with a light tug on his hair.

Wonho blinked before frowning, "You're right. Fuck. Okay, new plan. I'll probably skip the gifts and just get down on my knees and beg for your forgiveness while telling you all the reasons why you're so much more perfect than I am."

"What else?" She asked while giggling.

He hummed in thought, "I'd probably kiss you a lot. Yeah, I'd probably kiss you on every flat surface I could find."

Yena's carefree smile froze on her face and her body started to heat up. She naturally buried her face against his shoulder almost shyly and Wonho pretended he couldn't feel her smile against his sweater.

When her phone started buzzing against her hip, she shifted on Wonho's back and pulled it out before checking the name and answering it, "Oh! Hi mom, is everything okay?"

"Oh yes, sweetheart, we just wanted to check in, your father keeps asking about you. He wanted to talk to you." Her mother sung happily.

Yena's arm tightened around Wonho's neck on instinct, "R-Really?"

"Mmmhhmm, but before I put him on, I just wanted to ask you if you and Namjoon were free to come down here for dinner. We'd really love to meet him."

This was the conversation she was afraid of having with her mother.

Yena cleared her throat and unknowingly dug her nails into Wonho's shoulder, "Me and Namjoon…we sort of broke up, mom. We're not…we're not together anymore."

Wonho didn't realize that he was holding his breath until his head was a little dizzy.

"I see." Her mother said slowly.

Yena gulped nervously, "W-What does that mean? Are you upset?"

"Honestly, sweetheart? I'm kind of glad." Her mother breathed out.

Yena's eyes widened, "Why?"

"I owe him for taking care of you but I didn't like the idea of my only child marrying a man that I've never met. A-And I saw some articles floating around and I just…I was just worried."

Yena smiled slightly, "You don't need to worry anymore, mom. I promise."

"Good, now you're father keeps giving me dirty looks so I'll let him talk to you, okay?"

"Sweetheart!" Her father exclaimed, "How are you?"

Yena smiled and rested her cheek against Wonho's shoulder, "I'm really good, dad. How are you? Mom said you wanted to talk to me."

"I just missed my little girl. I haven't seen you since your highschool graduation." He said sweetly.

Yena's smile faltered when she heard his mixed up timeline, "I miss you too, dad."

"I was also wondering if that mechanic boyfriend of yours was around."

Yena's gasp was so loud and her legs squeezed Wonho's sides so tightly that he had stopped walking.

"Y-You remember him?" Wonho frowned when he heard her voice quiver.

Her father chuckled, "Of course. I think about him every time your mother and I get in the car."

Her father hadn't remembered a _single_ thing after her accident.

He barely remembered things before it.

"H-He's here dad, do you want to talk to him?" She asked while closing her eyes.

He laughed, "If you don't mind, sweetheart."

She pulled her phone away and showed it to Wonho, "My dad wants to talk to you."

"W-Wha--wait. A-Are you serious? Uhh, look I--"

"Please."She begged. "Please do this for him. He _remembers_ you."

Wonho gulped and nodded before Yena pressed her phone to his ear. She nuzzled up against him to try to overhear the conversation while Wonho started walking again.

"S-Sir?" He croaked, making Yena smile against his hair.

She could hear the smile in her father's voice, "I just wanted to thank you for what you did to our car. It's never worked better."

Wonho's body relaxed and the knot in his chest unwound, "I'm glad. When I get the chance, I'll come down and replace your tires. You live near the water so the ice in winter isn't going to be safe for you and your wife to drive on."

"That would be great, son and bring my daughter too. My wife and I would like to have the both of you over for dinner." He said warmly.

Wonho nearly tripped over his laces, he was so nervous, "I'll make sure of it."

"You're a good kid, boy. You're good for my little girl. I like you." He said proudly.

Wonho pursed his lips, "That means a lot."

"You mind handing her the phone?" Wonho nudged his head against the phone and Yena took the hint.

"Dad? Hmm? Yeah, we were just on a walk. I'll remember. Okay. Bye, dad. Love you."

There was a moment of silence hanging between them before Wonho spoke. "He sounds a lot better."

"Yeah." She said, dreamily.

Wonho chewed on the inside of his cheek, "Remembering me…is that a good thing? Does that mean he's getting better?"

"I don't know." She mumbled against his shoulder, "It's never happened before. Not like this. He still can't properly remember my age or what year it is, so I don't know."

Wonho understood her uncertainty as if she was entering a foreign territory and decided to end the conversation before she became overwhelmed, "Well, it's a start." Yena hummed in a dazed agreement before resting her face back onto his shoulder as he continued on his way home.

Neither of them aware of the feeling in the back of their minds that someone was watching them.

\-----

It was 2 AM.

Or maybe it was 3.

Yena didn't fucking know. All she knew that she was in the middle of a very peaceful sleep when her phone started to ring by her bed. She let out a loud groan and reached out to blindly slap at it, fumbling at it before picking it up.

"Hello?"

She waited a second as silence filled the other end before repeating herself, "Hello?"

Yena sat up and rubbed at her eyes when she heard the sound of heavy breathing echo on the other end of the call. Her lips curled down when the person said nothing else.

"Is anyone there?" She rasped as she fought back a yawn.

The heavy breathing continued to go for another 15 seconds before the dial tone rang in her ear. Rubbing her eyes, she pulled her phone back and went to her call history to see what was the last number she had received.

Her stomach curled in fright when she stared at the caller ID.

Kim. N


	36. Chapter 36

Yena was making lunch when it happened.

When her life was screeched to a stop, even if it was for only a moment.

Her phone vibrated against the countertop and her heart seized in her chest when the caller ID flashed with a number she didn't recognize. Her throat closed off when as she slowly lifted her phone up while answering the call.

She held her breath, "H-Hello?"

There was a moment of silence and for a second she was sure she'd hear Namjoon's blood curling voice but instead, she got something much worse.

"Is this Ms. Ahn Yena?" An unfamiliar voice asked.

Yena turned off the stove and stepped away, "Yes, this is her. Who's is this?"

"I'm Chief Fire Deputy Kim." He explained softly.

Yena frowned as she twisted the hem of her shirt nervously around her finger, "Fire Deputy? Why are you calling me?"

"It's about your parents, Ahn Yoomin and Park Mina. Their house was burned down last night."

Yena froze and her hand came up to her chest and she fisted the front of her shirt, "N-No. How is that possible? Where are they now? Are they okay? My dad has dementia, did you know where he is? Is he with my mother?"

"Ms. Ahn, I'm sorry to do this over the phone but…you parents were in the house when it was set on fire. They didn't make it. I'm so sorry for your loss."

Yena's body started quaking as tears filled her eyes, "No. No. No. No. That's not true. I-I spoke to my parents last night at midnight. H-How is that possible?"

"The fire happened around 1AM ma'am. I'm very sorry."

Yena didn't know when she had fallen to the ground and curled into herself as she sobbed, "W-Why. How did this happen? No."

"We're still investigating, ma'am." He assured her.

Yena wanted to throw up but all she could feel was the dizziness. It didn't feel real, none of it. It was all just a sick, twisted surreal nightmare.

Yes.

That's it.

She just needed to wake up.

She pinched the skin on his wrist and whimpered when nothing changed. She rolled on her back, her phone tumbling out of her palm. She stared lifelessly at the ceiling as tears spilled down her the side of her face.

_No._

"Ma'am? Are you there? Ma'am?"

She couldn't even hear the voice calling her on the phone, she just felt numb. She couldn't figure out what to feel first so emotions just clogged up, wanting to explode but not knowing how to.

Everything just felt gone.

\-----

Hyerin came home an hour later to find Yena racing around her apartment, shoving things into a duffle bag.

"Taking a trip?" She asked dubiously as she set her bag and keys down by the door.

Yena didn't answer and just passed by her while carrying some clothes. Hyerin grabbed her by the arm to stop her, "What's going on?"

"I need to go." Yena said emotionlessly before shaking out of Hyerin's grip.

She frowned and followed Yena into her room, "Go? Where do you need to go?"

"Home. To my par--parents." She croaked out, showing emotion for the first time

Hyerin's eyes widened, "You're parents? What happened with you parents?"

"They're dead."

Hyerin's phone slipped out of her hands and clattered on the ground as she stared at Yena, "W-What do you mean?"

"I mean they're _fucking_ dead!" Yena yelled as tears spilled down her cheeks, "The fire department just called me. Their house burned down and they died! How else am I supposed to explain it?"

Hyerin was in a daze as she watched Yena sob while shoving her clothes into her bag. Her mouth felt dry like sandpaper as she stared at Yena who leaned her head on her bag and just knelt on the floor and cried. Hyerin was immobile and couldn't find it in herself to hug Yena, she just felt like her entire body was made of lead.

Suddenly Hyerin felt her heart jump, "W-Wait. You said the fire department called you. They called you cell phone?"

"Yeah." Yena breathed out through hiccups and dry gagging.

Hyerin frowned, "Did you call you parents after?"

"That's not fucking funny, Hyerin." Yena muttered as she forced herself to stand up.

Hyerin shook her head, "No, I'm being serious." She bent down to pick her phone up and held it out to her, "Call them now."

"What are you talking about?" Yena asked while taking the phone and dialing her parents' number.

Hyerin chewed on her lip, "Your emergency number isn't your cellphone, is it?"

"N-No." Yena said slowly in realization as she held the phone but to her ear, "It's…the landline in Namjoon's house."

"And I don't think he's the type that would give them your number if they did call the house." Hyerin worded out carefully.

Yena gulped as the phone call continued to ring with no answer, "You think it's not real?"

"Maybe. It's a possibility."

Yena was in a stunned daze, "So. why would someone call me and say that to me? They even knew my parents nam--"

Namjoon did this.

He must've paid someone to pretend to be from the fire department.

He wanted to scare her, this was a threat.

He was psychotic. 

"Hello?"

"M-Mom?" Yena asked with wide eyes.

"Yena? Where are you calling from? I didn't recognize this number." Her mother asked innocently.

Yena's hand was shaking as she pressed it to her lips, "Mom?" She asked in a broken sob as she fell to the ground. "Mom."

Hyerin excused herself to give Yena some privacy and went to her bedroom to grab a blanket for her. She closed the door behind her and sat on the edge of the bed before holding her head in her hands. She was shaking and she it wasn't even her own parents that she thought died, so she couldn't imagine the emotional stress Yena was under.

Namjoon wasn't just ruining Yena's life, he was taking apart the seams that were holding her together and watching her unravel in a way that would leave her emotionally traumatized for the long term. He wanted to break her.

Tears filled Hyerin's eyes but before she could let them out, she heard a loud thump. She sat up and wiped at her face before walking to Yena's room.

But when Hyerin came back with a blanket, Yena was nowhere to be seen and her car keys were missing.

\-----

"What are you doing here?" Wonho asked when Shownu ran through the shop searching for him.

"Sori emailed back." He pulled his phone out and tossed it to Wonho, "Check it out."

Wonho clicked on the email and scanned the short sentence.

_Thanks for the offer, but I'll pass._

"Well, that's fucking anti-climactic." Wonho muttered before handing Shownu his phone back.

Shownu looked perturbed, "Not that many undergrads would turn down a job opportunity with a major company. Namjoon must have her set up with a job after she graduates. I even created some fake accounts and sent job offers to her and she didn't bother replying to any of those."

"You're basically saying that this is going to be harder than we thought." Wonho said softly.

Shownu rubbed his face, "It's like talking to a wall. We're not getting anywhere we this. We might have to fly down there ourselves, find her class schedules and track her down ourselves before ambushing her and getting some fucking answers."

"Oh, so like normal people?" Wonho said sarcastically, making Shownu crack a smile.

Shownu shook his head and let out a breath, "A part of me foolishly thought this would be easy."

"Well, Namjoon's clearly good at keeping his bases covered. I wouldn't be surprised if she already knows who Hyerin is and is blocking her out on purpose." Wonho said with a sigh.

Shownu looked desolate, "I'm sure that once we track her down it won't be any easier.|

Wonho sympathized with him when his phone started to buzz. He glanced at the screen before answering, "Hey, Hyerin, this is a surprise." Wonho said while looking at Shownu who had his brows raised. "I'm with Shownu, did you want to talk to him?"

Shownu stepped forward when Wonho frowned, "Woah, woah. Why are you crying? What's going on? Are you okay? Where's Yena?"

Shownu's eyes widened, looking worried as Wonho tried to hear what Hyerin was saying, but most of her words were muffling between her cries. However, there was one part that he heard all too clearly.

One part that rang fear into his system.

"Yena's in the hospital?"

\-----

"You bastard."

Namjoon looked up from his chair in the basement and looked genuinely surprised to see Yena standing at the foot of the staircase with her hair hanging over her eyes.

He set his book down and stood up. He had holed himself up in the basement ever since Wonho's uncle started coming around, looking for him. "I thought I wasn't allowed to get within 100 feet of you."

"You broke that on your own already. Why does it matter now? You do whatever you want, anyways." She spat out venomously.

She walked over to her and when he got close enough, Yena raised her hand and slapped him across the face with so much force that his head snapped to the left and his cheek was growing into an angry red.

"You can try to ruin me, my career, my reputation but you _never_ touch my family. Do you hear me? I'll kill you myself if you get anywhere near them." She hissed with narrowed eyes while pointing a finger at him.

"You think that just because you've been hanging out with the rat pack for a few weeks that suddenly you can threaten me?" He laughed cockily.

He wound her arm back and slapped him again, "Shut up, shut the _fuck_ up. You stay away from my family and that doesn't just mean my parents. You stay away from the 8 of them too because if you don't, trust me, I will ruin your life in ways that no publicist can fix."

"I'd like to see you try." He growled, gripping onto her arm.

Yena shoved him away and took a step back, "You already took everything from me, I have nothing left. You, on the other hand, hide so many secrets that you should be afraid of your own shadow."

She turned on her heel and ran up the staircase and heard Namjoon call after her. "Get back here, we're not done."

"I've been done with you since day one." She hissed.

It was a split second.

Namjoon grabbed her arm and yanked her backward before letting go. Yena let out a scream before she tumbled down the stairs, her elbows, knees and head bang on the staircase. Her body was jerked around before she landed at the base of the stairs with a loud groan, her body slumping forward.

Her vision was swimming but all she could last make out was Namjoon standing at the top of the stairs, staring down at her.

\-----

"I'm fine. Really." Yena assured when Minhyuk, Hyungwon, Changkyun, Kihyun, Jooheon and Hyerin crowded her small apartment room.

Hyerin's hands were shaking as she tried to use her hair to cover her face, "I shouldn't have looked away."

"It's not your fault. I shouldn't have gone to his house on my own. I was just so mad." She seethed through her teeth.

Changkyun pouted, "Going for your parents, though? He's really going for the low blows."

Jooheon smirked, "At least you got in a good slap or two."

Yena laughed slightly before wincing. She lightly twisted her ankle and although she didn't need a cast, it was grossly swollen. Her head was wrapped in gauze because of the small bump that had grown during the fall.

"How long will I be in here for?" Yena asked.

Minhyuk pursed their lips, "They said 24 hours."

"God." Yena breathed out while closing her eyes.

Suddenly the door swung open and Wonho and Shownu were standing, panting heavily with a thin coat of sweat covering their faces. Yena's eyes grew and her heart constricted when she locked eyes with Wonho who just stared at her with bloodshot eyes. Shownu walked past him and into the room, coming behind Hyerin.

"We came as fast as we could. How are you?"

Yena looked over at Shownu to reply and Wonho took this moment to take her in. The sweat-matted hair, her tired and aged eyes and the weary smile on her face as she talked back and forth with everyone. Wonho felt his fingers start to curl up into angry fists and his arms started to quiver as he stared at her.

He touched her.

The first time, Wonho turned a blind eye, thinking he was just over thinking it.

Not this time.

He wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.

Unable to look at her anymore, he turned around and walked out the door with a mission and when Yena looked over at the door, her heart fell when Wonho was nowhere to be seen.

\-----

"You can't go in there!" The secretary yelled when Wonho brushed straight passed her.

He tightened his fists and whispered under his breath, "Oh, he should be fucking expecting me."

He could see the employees peeking up from their cubicles to watch him as he stormed through the office until he found a frosted door with a name he despised plated in gold. He didn't hesitate to swing it open and see Namjoon and some random man talking.

The shock on Namjoon's face was laughable and before he had a chance to compose himself, Wonho launched himself over the conference table and grabbed Namjoon's collar before punching him across the face.

"You son of a bitch." He spat out before pinning him down on the ground and slamming his fist against his cheek again.

The other person in the room scurried out, most likely to call security, but Wonho was rather preoccupied. "You pushed her down the fucking stairs, you piece of shit."

Blood was spewing from Namjoon's split lip, but Wonho didn't stop. He couldn't see the blood. All he could see was Yena lying in a hospital with her ankle swollen and her temple wrapped up, making her look small and weak.

It filled him with immeasurable rage.

"How does it feel?" He spat, winding back his arm before cracking it against Namjoon's jaw, "How does it feeling being the one getting hit after throwing her around like a fucking rag doll for so long? Do you like it? You must like it since you love doing it to her all the time."

Namjoon just laid motionless under Wonho, spitting out the blood in his mouth, until the office door swung open and two burly men came barrelling in and pulled Wonho off of their precious future-CEO.

Wonho's uncle came racing in, his eyes widening at the sight, "What the hell is going on here?" He looked down at Namjoon and immediately crouched down to his side. "Are you alright, sir? I didn't know you came to work. I have been trying to get into contact with you. Your father wanted to see you, but let's get you cleaned up first."

Wonho laughed as he stayed locked in the grip of the security guards, "I've never seen someone so far up their boss's ass that they can see the light coming out of their mouth."

His uncle narrowed his eyes and walked up to him so that they stood an inch apart, "Aggravated assault can land you in jail."

"Do it." Wonho taunted, "I'll still be a better person than the two of you bottom feeders."

Wonho's uncle's eyes narrowed, "Throw him out."

"Wait."

Everyone turned to Namjoon who was wiping the blood off his face, Wonho wanted to remember that image for a long time, "It's fine. The two of us need to talk."

"But sir, he--"

"Leave." Namjoon ordered, "All of you."

Wonho's uncle gave him a wary look before nodding at the guard who released Wonho's arm. "We'll be right outside if he tries anything else."

Namjoon didn't acknowledge him and just waited for the room to clear before addressing Wonho, "That's one way to make an entry."

"You're lucky I don't just break your neck." Wonho hissed.

Namjoon wiped his lip before snorting, "She's the one that came to me."

"That didn't mean she wanted you to push her down the goddamn stairs." He snapped.

Namjoon chuckled dryly, "So why are you actually here? I doubt you just wanted to give me a punch."

Wonho sucked his cheeks and stared over Namjoon's shoulder as disgust and hate curled up in his blood, but he knew that there was no other way. He slammed Namjoon against the wall and used his forearm to press it against his throat, so close to choking him out.

"I'll do it." Wonho whispered.

Namjoon raised his brow, "Do what?"

"I'll work for you if you swear to never even _look_ at her again."


	37. Chapter 37

Wonho came out of his room the next morning with everyone staring at him with heavy eyes. They had finally decided to move back into their place figuring it was better to be closer to Hyerin and Yena. He looked around at each of them, reading the conflict and mixed emotions present in every single one of their eyes as they watched him expectantly.

"Don't you all have jobs to go to?" Wonho muttered while fixing his tie.

Jooheon scowled, "Shownu told us what you did. Seriously? You're working for that snake? When the hell did that happen? You won't even take calls from your uncle who works there and suddenly you're first in line to get your ID badge?"

"I'm not thrilled about it either." Wonho muttered. "But I did what I needed to do."

Kihyun scoffed, "Why? You think working for him is suddenly going to make him keep his word? You think he won't go after her just because you're on his payroll? That's delusional if you believe him and last I checked, you weren't that stupid."

"I can't believe you're doing this." Jooheon muttered. "What about the shop? What about Mr. Jung?"

Wonho could only shrug, what else could he do? "I quit last night and I'm sure he'll be fine. LP can take over."

"This is fucked up." Hyungwon muttered. "This is so incredibly fucked up."

"I don't have time for this, I need to go." Wonho said while pulling his blazer over his shoulders.

"Shownu! Say something to him!" Minhyuk exploded in anger when the eldest remained silent through the entire conversation, "Make him stop! Do something!"

Shownu just stared expressionlessly at Wonho with his arms crossed, not a single emotion crossing over his face. The pair of them locked into a heated staring contest, neither of them flinching nor looking away, almost as if they were daring the other person to say something first.

Shownu's eyebrow twitched before he turned on his heel and walked into his room, slamming the door shut behind him. Wonho's jaw was tight as he stared at the Shownu's door before turning around and walking away.

"Why her, huh?" Kihyun snapped. "What makes her so fucking special that you're doing all this for her?"

Wonho looked down, "I'm not doing this for her."

"Bullshit, you're not. He pushes her down the stairs and now you're employee of the month? Fuck off." Hyungwon said spitefully.

"I thought you wanted her to be independent and stand up for herself." Changkyun said softly. "Isn't doing this the exact opposite? Aren't you doing to her exactly what Namjoon did to her? You're just giving her another thing to feel guilty and indebted about. If she finds out that you did this for her, she'll never forgive herself. She'll spend the rest of her life feeling like she owes you."

"Which is why she's _isn't_ going to find out." Wonho said, giving them all a pointed look, threatening them to keep their silence.

Hyungwon sighed in resignation, "You're going to end up hurting more people than you're helping, you know."

"You don't know what you're talking about and I'm going to be late." Wonho muttered before reaching for the door, "I'll see you guys tonight."

\-----

"Hey there, Red."

Yena looked up from her hospital bed and smiled when she saw Wonho standing by the door, "Hey."

He held his hand out and showed her a small stuffed brown bear before walking over her bedside, placing the toy in her outstretched hands. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay, I guess." She said while playing with the soft toy, "Better than before and the swelling in my ankle went down, but I'm so bored."

"Well, it's only for a few more hours, right?" He said while watching her. "Shouldn't be too bad."

She looked up at him with warm eyes, "Where did you go yesterday? I didn't see you."

"I had some things I had to get done. I'm sorry." He mumbled gently with an apologetic smile.

Yena hummed while looking back at the bear, squishing its stomach. Wonho chewed on his lip before pulling up a chair and leaning his elbows on the side of her mattress.

"Do you remember how you got to the hospital?"

Yena kept her eyes on the bear. "He dropped me off in front of Hyerin's building and called her."

"Were there secu--"

Her voice was sharp, curt and bitter, "He didn't show up on any of the footage, he was always out of frame."

"I'm sorry you went through that." He helplessly. "Especially about your parents. We should've known better than to think he'd follow a restraining order."

She just smiled, "Don't worry, I got in a few good hits on him and it felt freaking amazing."

"Atta girl." He said with a bright laugh. He reached out and pushed her hair back, his stomach twisting at the simplicity of the action and how it made him so warm.

She chuckled before looking at his clothes, "Why are you so dressed up?"

"Huh? Oh, I just have a….meeting." He lied before leaning away.

She raised her brows, "Is it important?"

"A little. I should actually get going I'm going to be late. I'll drop by after work, okay?" He said while brushing his fingers on along her arm.

"Okay." She said softly, her skin prickling at his soft touch.

He stood and walked backwards to the door, his eyes on her before shooting her a wink, "Wish me luck."

She smiled widely and Wonho felt his heart flip.

"Good luck."

\-----

"Anything?" Shownu asked as he sat atop one of Hyerin's student's desks when he stopped by at lunch.

Hyerin stood across from him, leaning against her own desk while crossing her arms over her chest, "Not really. She isn't replying to _any_ of the follow up emails or the fake ones that we sent. I even created 6 more accounts, one of them even said she won a random draw for a luxury cruise. Nothing. Total radio silence."

"Great. Fucking great." He muttered while looking away.

Hyerin's brows knit together, "You said she was a slacker and a junkie. How is she this smart to avoid all of our attempts to reach out to her? She can't be _that_ diligent. Even I'd be curious if I got bombarded with emails. I probably would've clicked one just to see what it was about."

"Maybe she got smarter in university." Shownu said dryly.

Hyerin pushed herself off her desk and walked up to him. He automatically wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, "I got a call from a very concerned Changkyun who wants me to find out why you're so mad at Wonho. Apparently, someone threw a hissy fit this morning."

"It's nothing. He's just made a very big decision last night and everyone was on edge about it this morning." Shownu said with a groan.

Hyerin frowned, "Last night? Does it have to do with Yena?"

"Don't worry about it, hon. He'll be alright." He said calmly while touching her cheek. "He's a big boy."

She scoffed, "Then why were you slamming doors like a baby throwing a tantrum, this morning?"

"That little rat, he told you everything." Shownu cursed under his breath, making her laugh.

She ran her fingers through his hair, "You're sure he'll be okay?"

"No, I'm not. But it's Wonho and if I can't trust him to take care of himself after all these years, then what's the point?"

\-----

It was excruciating.

Wonho had already snapped three pencils in his fist and he was pretty sure there was a group chat circulating around the building, warning the other employees to steer clear of the new guy who punched their boss's son in the face yesterday.

It wasn't just the choke hold tie but it was also becoming everyone's bitch in the span of two hours. He just made copies over and over and over again that he was pretty sure he was getting a contact high off of the printer ink.

The only thing that made the day bearable was that he didn't run into either Namjoon or his father yet. His uncle, on the other hand, made it his job to walk past Wonho every 15 minutes, shooting him a dirty look like they were in the halls at highschool. He never spoke a word to him and only ever acknowledged him when he made his rounds with the dry looks.

He didn't know if he could spend the next 20 years sitting here working under Namjoon because he had no idea how long he planned on keeping him here. Seeing the bleak cubicles and hearing the dead silence made him wonder how his father managed to work here for so long without a complaint.

The phone at his desk rung and he resisted the urge to slam it against its holder and instead answered it, "Hello?"

"Bring me a coffee and come into my office, I need you to photocopy something for me."

Wonho's hand trembled as he ground his teeth at Namjoon's voice and before he could respond Namjoon had already hung up. Wonho stood and made the coffee and even considered spitting in it before just making it normally and stormed to Namjoon's office.

He swung the door open and held back his snarl and just schooled his expression into a blank one when he saw smug look on Namjoon's face.

"This is a nice sight. You're kind of like a servant. If your dad decided life was worth living, he could be in your shoes right now."

Wonho walked over to him and held the mug out but before Namjoon could wrap his fingers around the handle, Wonho let go. The mug slipped through his fingers and fell onto Namjoon's lap, the scalding liquid making him stand up with a loud curse. The mug rolled off his lap when he stood and shattered on the floor.

"What the fuck!?"

Wonho maintained his blank expression, "My bad. Is your dick okay?"

"Don't be petty. You're the one that took my offer." Namjoon growled while attempting to dry himself.

"You said you wanted me to photocopy something for you?" Wonho said unapologetically.

Namjoon bore his teeth before picking up a file. When he lifted it, a shard of the mug, sliced his finger, making him spit out another curse word.

"Huh." Wonho said emotionlessly with picking up the file, "Ironic, isn't it? You threw a glass cup at Yena and didn't think twice when it cut up her feet, now you're the one bleeding. You're right. This _is_ a nice sight."

Namjoon's head snapped up, his body tensed and defensive. Wonho's lips lifted slightly, "Not so much fun when other people are spilling _your_ secrets, is it?"

"You fuck--"

'Mr. Kim? Your father is on the line." His secretary said through the intercom in his office.

"Fuck." He hissed under his breath. "Put him through."

As the call was being transferred, he pointed at Wonho, "Don't move. I'm not done with you."

"Dad?" He called through when the line connected.

"Get the fuck to the conference room. You've been dodging my calls for days and you have the balls to avoid me in my own fucking company? Get your ass here _now."_

The line went dead and Wonho cleared his throat.

"Looks like daddy isn't so happy with his bulldog anymore." Wonho muttered with a smirk as he turned his back to Namjoon who just glared.

\-----

"Bankruptcy, Namjoon? What the fuck are you doing? Do you know how much money you lost us? This company is falling apart. It's barely operating. I wanted to let you take control of things on your own so I stepped back but I decided to finally give everything a closer look and what _haven't_ you fucked up?" His father growled.

Namjoon frowned, "What was I supposed to do? Articles came out and investors pulled out. I had to make it look like we were on track while I tried to bring them back on board."

"Why didn't you come to me? I could've helped you fix things." His father said in exasperation.

Namjoon's frown just grew, "If I came you, you would've thought it meant I wasn't ready to take over and you wouldn't hand me the company once I got married."

"You're damn right I won't. Not after this shit show. Do you know how hard I worked to make sure Shin Wonho's father did get that promotion? Do you know the _lengths_ I went to in order to secure this position? This is a legacy, Namjoon and I'm not going to let you jeopardize it with your poor decisions." His father growled. "And marriage? You think your marriage is something to be proud of? You can barely take care of your fiancée. You had to ship her away just to make sure she doesn't have a mental break. What the hell are you boasting about?"

Namjoon's eyes widened in panic, "But what if I can fix it? The company, the wedding, all of it?"

"How?" His father asked suspiciously.

Namjoon gulped as his mind grasped at straws. He had no plan. He had been so distracted with Yena and Wonho that he barely had time to focus on the company itself. But he couldn't tell his father that, he couldn't risk having it taken away from him.

"I have Wonho. I got him to work for us." He blurted out, hoping his father would assume he had a better reason for hiring him other than to torture him.

"W-Wait, he's working? Here?" His father asked with wide eyes.

Namjoon smirked, enjoying the look on his father face, "We have a new copy boy."

"Where is he?"

\-----

"Why were you coming out of my office?" Mr. Kim growled when he saw Wonho closing his office door behind him with a stack of papers in his hands.

Wonho narrowed his eyes, resisting the urge to bark back before looking over at Namjoon, "He wanted me to drop off a copy of these files. I'm just doing my fuc--my job."

"How's your first day going?" Namjoon asked pleasantly.

Wonho shrugged, "It's been alright. I was going to say that it's really cold in here but then I realized that you cold blooded reptiles probably didn't notice."

"That's no way to talk to your boss, son." Namjoon's father said with a grin.

Wonho stepped up to him, ignoring the curious looks from the other employees and glared at him, "So fire me for insubordination."

Neither Namjoon nor his father spoke up and Wonho smirked, "That's what I thought."

And made sure to knock into his father's shoulder as he walked past.

\-----

"Oh, shouldn't you be at work?" Yena asked when Hyungwon strolled into her room around noon.

He hummed before pulling something out of his bag, "Yeah, I was on my way to an interview and I thought I'd swing by and drop off some entertainment. I have about 6 movies in here that should kill your time."

"That's sweet." Yena said while taking the laptop from him.

Hyungwon looked guilty as he nodded, "I feel bad…you're here alone."

"It's okay, Wonho stopped by." She said with a smile.

Hyungwon's lips quirked up, "Yeah? That's good."

"Yeah, he said he had to go to a meeting." She said brightly.

Hyungwon's smile dropped and he looked over to the small stuffed bear, "Meeting…right."

"Thanks for coming, Hyungwon." She said sadly.

He gave her an odd look, "Why are you being weird?"

"It's strange." She said with a laugh, "I'm not used to being injured and having people fuss over me. I'm not used to people asking me if I'm okay and actually wanting to know my answer. I'm not used to people telling me that something wasn't my fault."

He blinked, "Isn't that good thing? Like, at least you have that now."

"I know, but it just makes me wonder why I spent years thinking that love was someone telling you what to wear and how to speak. That making sure your life didn't burden his was the way all couples thought about each other. I feel like I wasted so much of my youth with him. I feel like I wasted my love on him." She choked out.

Hyungwon gulped, his heart tugging before he sighed helplessly, "Look. No one's perfect, okay? No one goes through life without making a stupid decision or going into something with a blind eye. No one's hindsight is 20/20, trust me. Choices always seem easier when you look back at them because you already know the outcome so it's easy to pick the road that would have a different outcome. The fact that you're able to look back at your relationship with him and realize the flaws means that you're getting to know yourself and what you want. It's growth or development or whatever. I don't know."

"Wow." She said in awe.

He rolled his eyes, "It comes with the journalist thing. Apparently I kind of, sort of, have a way with words."

She laughed, making him smile slightly before stood up with his hands in his pockets, "Wonho made some pretty shit decisions in his life too. Ones that he regrets and ones that he feels were a waste of his youth too. Look at him now. He still makes stupid decisions but they're decisions that he would make again if he got the chance to redo them."

\------

After Hyungwon left, Yena decided that watching movies would probably help kill time a lot faster. She opened the laptop and frowned when she realized that the movies weren't under the 'VIDEO' folder like they would be on hers. She pursed her lips and clicked around, searching for them until she noticed a video file on his desktop. Thinking it was the movie, she clicked on it.

Her eyes grew wide when she saw a young girl laughing and talking into the camera. Yena took a sharp intake of breath when she heard Namjoon's voice but younger, come from the other end of the camera. She watched the entire video play out as tears gathered in her eyes.

Wonho and his friends were right all along. It was Namjoon, he was the one that framed Gunhee for selling drugs. They were the reason that he killed himself and sent Wonho and the others on a downward spiral. Her stomach curled into a disgusted twist as she reveled in the fact that Namjoon didn't blink twice over ruining someone else's life.

He was beyond petty.

He was a boy that was never taught no.

"Fuck." She breathed out when the video came to an end.

Thinking the video was over, she moved the mouse to close out of the window when she noticed that the progress bar had only made it halfway. She frowned and waited a few more seconds but nothing happened, the screen just stayed black.

Assuming the rest of the video was just a black screen, she was about to close the screen again when static crackled across the video. The screen blinked and suddenly what looked like security footage from inside someone's house. Her eyes caught the date which went back about 10 years ago, a couple months after the first video.

At first, there was no movement, the camera was pointing at the kitchen and all she could see was the island counter and the door to the backyard. She frowned and just watched the footage, waiting for something to happen. There were even times when she had to make sure the screen didn't freeze because it nothing was happening.

But then she heard something.

There was a loud bang in the distance like someone slammed a door before quiet grunts echoed off screen along with the sound of something sliding across the ground. Yena held her breath when she saw a shadow on the ground of someone before she saw a bit of their back enter the frame. Slowly more and more of the person appeared on screen until she saw Namjoon's face with the same silver hair from the first video.

Then Namjoon took a large step back and pulled something else into the frame and Yena felt her heart stop.

He was dragging what looked like a body wrapped in a bed sheet with duct tape wrapped around the bottom of the bed sheet. He gave it a particular rough pull and the top of the bed sheet flapped open and Yena felt vomit curl up her throat when she saw the face of the girl from the earlier video.

Namjoon cursed and pulled the roll of tape from his pocket and covered her face with the bed sheet before wrapping it with duct tape as if it was a cardboard box, not a human being. Once he was done, he continued dragging the body out the door and she could see from the corner of the frame a car wheel. The wheel shifted up and down, leading her to believe that he opened the trunk, dumped the body and slammed it shut, causing the car to shift on its wheels.

The car moved out of frame before the video ended. Yena sat back, reeling from shock as her trembling fingers gripped the laptop. If Hyungwon and the others saw this footage, why was Namjoon not in jail? She looked at the video clip and started to tremble.

Did they miss the clip entirely? Maybe they were like her and thought that the video ended after the first clip and just closed the video. It would make sense if they were so shaken up about Gunhee that they didn't realize there was more time left for the clip. They must've overlooked this.

Her heart was racing as she tried to make sense of it, but why should she even bother trying? There was no use in trying to make sense of someone with a mind that repulsive. She just couldn't understand why he chose his girlfriend of all people.

Why would he kill his girlfriend after they looked so happy just a while earlier?

_"I need something to blackmail you with."_

"No." She whispered to herself as her eyes grew large.

But did she really have the right to be surprised? This was the man that ran after her with a knife, thinking that killing her would earn him sympathy from the investors. Someone that willing to turn to murder must have done it before.

She knew that he was sick and twisted, but she had never known that it extended this far into his youth. This wasn't just something he learned after he started working for his father, he had always been this psychotic.

He was just a kid, barely out of high school and he did this. 

He killed his ex-girlfriend.


	38. Chapter 38

They all stood behind the yellow caution tape, staring at the scene wearily, unable to look away even though every cell in their bodies were begging them to do so..

\-----

When Yena came running out of the hospital with nurses chasing after her, she ran straight into Shownu's arms, who had come to visit her.

"Woah. Hey. What's going on?" He asked while pulling his sunglasses off.

"Ms. Ahn! You can't leave yet! We still need to run tests!" The nurse called out while running up to them.

Shownu raised his hand to stop the nurse before looking at Yena, "What happened."

"This." She said, trembling as she pulled Hyungwon's laptop from under her shirt, "Have you seen what's on this?"

Shownu frowned and took the laptop from her, "Is this Hyungwon's?"

"That video of Namjoon and his girlfriend at Gunhee's locker, did you watch that?" She said, her eyes darted back and forth.

Shownu blinked at her with confusion dusting his features, "Y-Yeah, we did. Why?"

"Did you watch the entire video? I mean start to finish? Did you watch the video until the progress bar hit 00:00?" She barked at him.

Shownu blinked and stared at the laptop, "N-No, but we saw everything we needed to."

"No. I don't think you did." She whispered with steel eyes.

Shownu frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Namjoon killed her." 

\-----

"Where have you been? You're 2 hours late." Wonho's uncle hissed when he saw his nephew stroll out of the elevators.

Wonho raised his brow, "I took a long lunch. Sue me."

"You're a copy room boy. You don't have the right to just leave for however long you want." He muttered while walking alongside him.

Wonho's face conveyed nothing, "Where is Mr.CEO? It must not be that big of a deal if he sent _you_ to slap me on the wrist."

"He's not here."

Wonho smirked, "Not here or you can't track him down? Looks like Jr. isn't the most responsible heir, is he?"

"You better watch yourself here, Wonho. You're just a small fish in a tank full of sharks.' He said lowly, his eyes burning relentlessly.

Wonho's phone buzzed and puffed his cheeks out before tilting his head with a cute smile, "I'm sorry, I need to get this."

Wonho walked away while feeling his uncle's gaze boring into his back. "Hello? Shownu?"

"Get down to the lake, _now_."

\-----

"I can't believe this." Hyungwon muttered as they watched divers jump off police boats

Shownu sighed as more police cars surrounded the area, "This must've been why they wanted Wonho to sign that settlement. If he decided to pursue the case, the cops would've ended up back at the lake and they would've found Sori and opened a whole new can of worms."

"I just can't believe he dumped her in the same lake." Minhyuk muttered.

Jooheon's brows knit together, "I just can't believe we didn't see the video until Yena saw it."

"Where is she? I thought she was with you?" Kihyun asked Shownu.

Shownu slipped his hands into his pockets, "With Hyerin while she finishes her checkups."

"And Wonho?" Changkyun asked.

"On his way."

Changkyun frowned, "I thought you were mad at him."

Shownu said nothing and just watched as two detectives walk towards them. The one with light blonde hair and sharp eyes surveyed them before speaking up, "Who here called us about the video?"

"That would be me." Shownu said while stepping forward.

He held his hand out, "Nice to meet you. I'm the head detective on this case, Mark Tuan and this is my partner Jackson Wang. We have a lot to talk about with you and your friends."

Kihyun narrowed his eyes, "Wait…Tuan…I know you. Your girlfriend was the girl who took down The Collector, right? She opened that bakery, I wrote an op-ed piece about her. Fantastic coffee."

"Oh fuck, I know. It's so good." Jackson bemoaned, making Mark roll his eyes.

"We gave the video a look and we almost thought we were getting pranked. This video is exactly what he needed to close this case or at least have a concrete suspect." Mark said with a grateful smile.

Jackson crossed his arms, "Sori was a cold case from ages ago. Her parents reported her missing 10 years ago and the detectives at the time hit a brick wall. Her parents had no clue about her Ivy League acceptance or her dropping out of highschool and could never get in touch with her. She was prone to not showing up some nights but never for weeks at a time."

"Sloppy police work led to the assumption that she just ran away for good and they closed the case without trying to find her but when there was activity on her personal email, we reopened her case thinking that we could at least find her." Mark explained.

Shownu chewed on the inside of his cheek, "If she's dead, then did Namjoon use her email to make it seem like he was still alive?"

"That's what it looks like. He photo shopped her picture and faked all of her transcripts to make it look like she was a student at Cornell but there's actually no one by that name ever attending or being offered admission there. In fact, even her email isn't official. It's .com when it should've been .edu." Mark explained. "He fabricated her whole life after she 'disappeared' to make it look like she was still alive."

Kihyun let out a stunned breath before holding his head with his hands, "Holy hell. That's so fucked up."

"How did you guys know he took the body here?" Jooheon asked while staring at the lake.

"This security cam footage in the file you gave us is from the inside of that cabin over there."

Everyone followed his finger to a small house on top of a small hill, "The Kims own it so we figured someone of Namjoon's age wouldn't risk driving a far distance with a body in the trunk, so he probably dumped it somewhere near where he killed her."

"Will you even be able to find it after all these years?" Minhyuk asked.

Jackson laughed, "Not a chance. At least not the entire body unless it was preserved, but this is a manmade lake which means that it's not connected to any larger bodies of water. If the body was thrown in here, its remains should still be in this lake"

"I have to ask." Mark said with a frown, "Where did you guys get this video? I can't seem to find a logical reason why you would have it."

Shownu shrugged and spoke quickly, "We don't know. It just showed up at our door." He wasn't about to rat out his paralegals.

Mark narrowed his eyes, unsure of Shownu's lie but Hyungwon was quick to cut in and change the subject, "What do you think happened to her?"

"Based on the dates, he killed her after the student they framed killed himself. I wouldn't be surprised if she was thinking about coming clean and he didn't like that." Jackson explained.

Mark glanced over his shoulder at the scene when someone called him before nodding at the group of them, "We'll be back to take your statement. Sit tight, guys."

"Wait!" Shownu bursted out, making Mark turn to him, "W-Where is he? Namjoon. Do you have him in custody?"

Mark and Jackson glanced at each other before looking at them, "We can't locate him. It seems like he heard about the investigation and went into hiding."

\-----

"Guys!" Wonho called out as he ran up the side of the lake where the rest of his friends were standing. He was still dressed for work with his employee badge bouncing against his chest when he ran, "What the fuck is happening?"

"They're still looking for her body. They haven't found anything yet." Shownu said before looking back out to where the detectives were looking at a map before transmitting orders through a walkie talkie.

Wonho gulped while taking everything in, "So, now they know? About everything?"

"Yup and they know about Gunhee too which means they'll probably look into that case and clear his name." Minhyuk said with a small self-assuring smile.

Wonho felt relief and for the first time in 10 years, felt the knot in the back of his chest unwind as his shoulders sagged forward, as if a weight was lifted, "Yena found this?"

"Hyungwon gave her his laptop and forgot that Shownu made a copy of the video on it. We owe her one." Changkyun answered.

Wonho ran his fingers through his hair, imagining the shock on her face, "Shit."

"This is good, though. These detectives don't seem like the rest. They're not bullshitting around, they really want to nail Namjoon for this and Namjoon on the run which means he knows his time is running out." Jooheon muttered under his breath.

"Wow, I have impeccable timing." Hyungwon said with a laugh.

Kihyun frowned, "What did you do now?"

"Check the news sites." He said with a half smile.

Minhyuk cursed under his breath before pulling his phone out and scanned the top trending headlines, "Heir K revealed to be Kim Namjoon of Kim Incorporated and his fiancée Ahn Yena have reportedly ended their 6-year relationship. Holy fuck."

"Skip to the bottom." Hyungwon said as his smile grew.

Minhyuk scrolled to the end of the article and his eyes widened, "Sources close to the couple say that it was Ms.Ahn who broke off the relationship when she became aware of his past history of drugs. She did not approve of his lifestyle and had broken up with him about a month and a half ago. Sources say that the relationship was very hard on her and she was…" Minhyuk's breath caught in his throat, "…she was afraid to leave him."

"I could not have uploaded that article at a better time." He said with a smug grin.

Wonho laughed and messed with his hair, "That's fucking brilliant."

"No one's going to be taking his side now." Hyungwon said casually.

Changkyun looked over at Wonho happily, "That means that you don't have to work for him anymore. There's no way him or his father would try anything now that the entire country is looking at them."

"That's not true." Shownu spoke up, his face hardened and stoic as he turned to Wonho with stiff eyes. Everyone held their breaths having not been used to seeing Shownu address Wonho with such a cold look. "He's only going to quit when he finishes what he started."

Wonho rolled his eyes and loosened his tie before throwing it at Shownu's face, "Fucking dramatic prick. I got the information, the job's done. Stop acting like the Godfather."

Shownu's demeanour did a 180 and his face lit up as he slapped his friend on the back, "I knew you could do it, you sly bastard."

"W-Wait, what's going on?" Minhyuk asked while looking between the two of them. "What are you two going on about?"

"You guys didn't really think I would bend over for Namjoon and be his little bitch without getting anything out of it, did you?" Wonho asked with a wicked grin.

Jooheon's eyes widened, "Wh-what?"

Wonho dug something out of his pocket and held out his index finger where a USB key dangled off his finger, "I have the entire file on Ms. Lee, the woman who accused my dad of sexual harassment and Kim's bank records showing that he deposits about 50K into her bank account every month ever since the accusations and her signed agreement to never talk about it ever again."

Even Hyungwon looked shaken, "H-How did you get that?"

"Let me ask you guys a question." Wonho taunted with a smirk, "What's scarier? A wolf in sheep's clothing or a sheep in wolf's clothing?"

\-----

_"Looks like daddy's isn't so happy with his bulldog anymore." Wonho muttered with a smirk as he turned his back to Namjoon who just glared._

_Wonho closed the door behind him before he ran to the copy room. He didn't know how long Namjoon's dad was going to spend yelling at him but he figured he had the time. He watched as the copies slid out of the machine before picking up the stack and speeding straight for Namjoon's father's office._

_He cracked open the door and stepped in before closing the door and shutting the blinds. He set the photocopy on his desk before turning on the old man's computer. He went through all the files until he found the ones that were password protected._

_This was the whole damn reason he agreed to take the job._

_"Fuck." He said under his breath before digging out the USB that Shownu gave him. Apparently, that was how some of his paralegals hacked accounts without hiring a third party. There was some decryption file that could break through most password protection._

_He pulled plugged it into the computer and watched the screen blackout and green codes run down the screen like it was something out of the Matrix. He glanced nervously at the door every time a shadow passed. Finally, the screen came to life and Wonho had entire access to every hidden file on Namjoon's father's hard drive._

_He skimmed through every file, there were only a few until he found the important ones. The ones about the secretary. Her personnel file was hidden from the others and his bank accounts, along with hers were hidden deep within a chain of empty files. And Wonho made sure to make a copy of every single one of them and save them onto the USB._

_"Fifty thousand." He muttered under his breath. The first Monday of every month the same amount would be taken out of his account and put into her. Seeing the number, even if it was what she got each month, made him sick. That was how much his parents' lives were worth._

_"Good morning, sir!"_

_Wonho's heart jumped when he heard Namjoon's father reply, his voice coming a few feet away from the door. He was about to pack up and leave when he noticed one more file. He glanced up at the door and weighed his chances before clicking on the file. Inside was just a single picture. He opened it and felt his adrenaline rush faster through his blood as he stared at a copy of the offer that basically spelled out in ink, how that by accepting the payments, she was agreeing to lie about the sexual harassment and never speak about it after the fact._

_"Jackpot." He whispered before copying it onto the USB._

_Racing against the clock, he erased his tracks and shut off the computer before taking his USB and the stack of photocopies and slide out the door with the utmost composure to find both Namjoon and his father staring at him._

_"Why were you coming out of my office?"_

_\-----_

"W-wait, I thought you said that we needed a subpoena and all that fancy legal paperwork for this to fly in court." Kihyun asked in confusion.

Shownu grinned, "That's if we hired a third party or stole the information ourselves."

Hyungwon still looked confused, "But Wonho stole the information, how is that any different?"

"If Wonho _works_ for him, well, that's called whistle blowing and that's _completely_ legal." Shownu said while smiling at Wonho.

Jooheon looked unsure, "But Wonho took the job under false pretences."

"We don't need to tell anyone that." Wonho snorted.

Minhyuk squinted at him, "What if Namjoon does?"

"And what will he say? That Wonho took the job to stop him from hurting his ex-fiancée? I doubt he'd admit to that and I'm sure he has bigger things to worry about now that he's on the LAM."

Hyungwon looked bitter, "So you two were on in on it together. When did you two even plan this out? "

"Shownu came by the shop and to tell me about Sori's emails and I told him about Namjoon's offer and he we planned it out. I just needed a good reason to take him up on his offer without making him suspicious." Wonho said. "Him promising to back off of Yena and then shoving her down the stairs was the perfect lead into taking him up on his offer _and_ keep her protected."

Shownu rolled his jaw in slight annoyance, "It would've been nice to have a heads up that you were going to do it when you left the hospital, though. You blindsided me when you told me that you already took the job, but at least you got what you needed."

Changkyun turned to face the lake, "The truth behind Namjoon and Gunhee is unravelling, we have dirt on his farther so…"

"All that's left is Yena." Shownu said slowly.

They all looked at Wonho who could only shrug, "Don't look at me. This is all on her. He'll be put away and the public will take her side when the truth comes out. All she'll have to do is learn to focus on herself."

Suddenly the detectives started to yell when an air horn blasted. Detectives jumped into boats and drove off across the lake to where a group of the divers were waiting.

"Detective Tuan!" Shownu called out when he saw the man run to a boat. "What's going on?"

Mark pulled a baseball cap over his head and climbed into the boat.

"They found remains."

They watched him drive off to the others and watched drivers lift up black garbage bags and place them into one of the boats. "Holy shit. They found her. They found Sori's body. We were right."

"I guess that's it. There's going to be a manhunt out for Namjoon and when we leak what his dad did, there will be people coming after him and his company so Namjoon will have no access to his bank account or his dad's help. He'll have no choice but to either slip up and reveal where he's hiding or just come forward and confess. It's…it's over." Shownu said with a sigh. "It feels…incomplete. I feel like we need to do more but no matter how hard I think about it, I can't think of anything else that needs to be done. It's just…finished."

Wonho shoved his hands into his pockets and looked at the ground, "I know. This huge part of my life just came to a close and there's nothing else for me to do or say about it. I wish I got to confront him one last time and let him know how badly he fucked me up or just have him look me in the eye and tell me why it had to me and why it had to be Yena."

"Not all stories have a dramatic ending that leaves you with the emotional closure you hope for. Sometimes things are just over, the lights turn off, the crowd leaves and all that's left to do is pick up the pieces by yourself." Shownu mumbled.

Kihyun agreed, "We wanted to make him and his father pay for what they did and that's what's going to happen. No one ever promised that we'd feel better or that all the baggage would be lifted."

"As long as he's still out there, this isn't over. I refuse to believe it." Wonho muttered resentfully. "I need to see him and his father behind bars before I can sleep at night."

"But hey!" Jooheon said, trying to lift everyone's moods, "At least you don't need to work for him anymore just to make sure he doesn’t hurt Yena."

"Um…"Minhyuk whispered, "Guys?"

Everyone glanced at him to see him staring off in the opposite direction, away from the lake. They all turned and froze to see Yena and Hyerin standing behind them, staring at Wonho in shock. Yena's eyes ran down every single one of Wonho's features before following a path down his neck and to his chest where his employee badge hung.

Yena started walking towards him and everyone held their breath and took a step back as she continued walking, without looking away, until she was standing in front of him. When she got close enough, she hooked her finger on his lanyard and tugged on it three times. Wonho could feel the heat off of her and pressed his forehead against hers as she continued to tug on the badge as with knit brows.

He didn't talk and just watched her with uneven breaths, in awe of the aura that radiated off of her. Something in Yena switched because her lips curled into a snarl and she wrapped all her fingers around the lanyard before she growled and ripped it off his neck with vicious force.

Wonho let out a grunt when it choked him but let out a gasp of air when she had torn it off of him and was holding it in her trembling fist, "Never again." She hissed while glaring at him. "Do you hear me? Never _fucking_ again."

Wonho let out a stuttering breath before nodding. "Never again. I'm sorry."

She looked over his shoulder, at the bags of Sori that were being pulled out and felt her lip quiver. Wonho threaded his fingers through her hair and slowly led her into the juncture between his collar and his shoulder and let hers sob into him. He closed his eyes and pressed his nose to the side of her head while holding her.

"It's okay. It's all over. It's done. He can't hurt you anymore. They'll track him down and he'll be locked up." He hushed against her ear. Yena squeezed her eyes shut and fisted Wonho's crisp white shirt as she cried, but isn't was a cry of anguish and pain. It was a cry of relief. A silent cheer of regained freedom.

Hyerin and the boys watched the pair of them with soft eyes. Shownu reached for Hyerin and she was quick to tuck herself against him as he watched over the broken boy and the strong girl in front of him. There was so much love that he felt like he could reach out and feel it with his fingers. The amount of mutual dependence, respect, and support the two of them shared was like nothing he had ever seen.

It was healthy.

It was honest.

And it was theirs.

\-----

"You fucking disgrace. Did you cut her body up into pieces? Is that why the police are hauling bags out from the lake? And Yena isn't on _vacation_ is she? She left your sorry ass and I have to find out through a tabloid article. Now I need to deal with the rest of the investors pulling out on top of the endless calls from acquaintances wondering if the wedding is called off now. I covered for you all these years, doing whatever I could to make sure no one ever goes poking around at that lake, but not anymore. You're on your own now. I'm not going to let you pull down this sinking ship any more than you already have. Fix this yourself or don't bother coming home."

That was the third time Namjoon played that message as he sat in his car.

The police were after him. They knew what happened to Sori and probably knew what happened with Gunhee too.

Everything was so carefully crafted together but now it was all falling apart and it felt like he was drowning, desperate for a life saver to be thrown his way. Everything was going great until Yena started seeing Wonho, he was the one that corrupted her and made her start acting differently.

She ruined him.

Something inside his head snapped and the reckless trigger inside of him leaked through his entire system. It was like the chemistry in his brain was altered and now all he wanted to do was get her back and fix this entire mess but any means necessary.

He wasn't thinking straight and it felt like someone else had possessed his body but he knew he needed to do this if he wanted to make everyone shut up and leave him alone. They didn't know who they were screwing with and they didn't know what he was capable of now that he had nothing to lose. He used a blade to cut up the white powder he had poured on his dash board into 5 thin lines. Taking a scrap of paper, he rolled it up and held it to his nostril before snorting all five lines up.

He was already looking at jail time so what did he have to be afraid of? 

That was it.

He was done failing.

He was going to take what was his.

\-----

"Just tell her, Wonho." Shownu said gently as they waited in the precinct for further questioning. "Just tell her how you feel about her. Why do you bother fighting against it? I know you're worried that it'll just put her in another Namjoon situation but you're not Namjoon. And no relationship between the two of you will ever be like what she went through with him."

The others were standing near the coffee machine, chatting, leaving the pair of them alone for the first time that day, "I just…I just can't. I want her to live her life without Namjoon, first. To enjoy her life without always having to look over her shoulder. I want her to spend a long time living without the fear that he's coming after her or is trying to hurt her before I tell her how I feel."

"And how do you feel?" Shownu mumbled.

Wonho leaned his head back and slipped his hands into his sweater pockets, "I love her. I'm in love with her."

"See, why are you afraid to sa--"

Wonho made a sound to disagreement, "I'm not afraid to say that I love her. I'm not scared about loving her or admitting it. I'm scared that every person I've ever loved has been taken away by Namjoon and his father and it's a fucking miracle I still have the 6 of you and Danah. I wasn't joking at the lake, Shownu. He's still out there and more at ease I feel about this whole thing, the scarier it gets. I love Yena but holy fuck it would be so easy for them to take her away from me and I can't handle that."

"So when are you going to tell her?" Shownu asked softly.

Wonho shrugged, "I don't know, but she can't know. Not yet. It'll make it all messy."

Detective Wang stepped out of the door and poked his head out, "Shin Wonho? Hey, sorry for the wait, follow me, this shouldn't take too long."

"No problem." Wonho said as he stood up. He bumped fists with Shownu and followed Jackson to his desk.

\-----

Yena leaned against the wall and closed her eyes while her shaking hands gripped the paper cup filled with coffee and held it close to her chest.

_"I love her."_

She hissed and slid to the ground before curling her body into itself.

He loved her.

The cup of coffee tumbled out of her hands and spilled onto the linoleum. She hugged her body and pressed her forehead to the top of her knees.

How could he even love her? Did he forget all the things that were wrong with her life? She could barely be around groups of men without having a full blown panic attack, she was struggling to take care of her parents and was still trying to piece together her life. Wonho was a soldier who lived through the most horrific tragedies, was living his life morally upright and happy, how could he love someone who was just starting to put her life together?

And the hardest thing to think about was that if he gave her enough time, she could see herself falling in love with him too. 

She just needed more time.

But she wasn't sure if Wonho would wait for her for however long it took her or if he'd still want her and love her the same way when she was ready. She was becoming a new person every day and she wasn't sure if he'd still want her when she would finally feel that happiness she needed. Who knew how strong his love was if she couldn't reciprocate right away?

Yena stood up and smoothed her palms over her clothes and stood up before she walked out of the precinct to get some fresh air. Her heart was thrumming furiously and her whole body was running hotter than the rest of her and she wondered if that was how someone was _supposed_ to make you feel when they loved you.

It was supposed to make you feel good and she wished she had realized that years ago.

She knew that loving Wonho would make her happy but also knew that loving him _now_ wasn't what she needed.

She finally broke free from one man so she wanted to embrace that freedom a bit more and enjoy being the only one that could control her life. She wanted to wear whatever she wanted and do whatever she had missed out on all by herself first. 

Yena stood in front of the door and just as the cold air nipped at her skin, she felt something being pressed up against her nose. The sweet scent filled her nose and her eyes started to blur and her vision started to fade before she collapsed into someone's arms.


	39. Chapter 39

"Ahn Yena?" Mark called as he looked around the group of people that were waiting to give their statements. He frowned and looked around, only spotting one of the two women, "Ahn Yena? Where's Ahn Yena?" 

Wonho frowned and looked around, "I have no clue."

"I gave her a cup of coffee a few minutes ago, I saw her walk in here." Hyerin said with a frown.

Mark's brow twitched, "So you're saying no one has seen her since then?"

Silence fell over them before Mark's eyes widened before looking back to his precinct, "Jackson! Get pull up the security feed from the cameras outside."

Everyone ran after Mark and crowded around Jackson's table as he rewound the footage. "When did you guys last see her?"

"About 5 minutes ago." Hyerin's voice quivered, "When I was getting her coffee. She took her cup and walked off, I assumed she just wanted to clear her head and walked around the building."

Jackson tapped on his keyboard before his breath caught, "Oh, fuck no."

Everyone looked at the screen which displayed the security footage from moments ago. It showed Yena stepping out of the precinct while hugging herself but she had barely made it out the door when a figure in black covered her mouth before catching her when she fell. The person dragged her around the side of the building with not as many people and Jackson switched cameras to follow them. The person kept their head lowered as they pulled her up to a black car.

Mark scribbled the license plate number down and watched the figure close the car door behind Yena before jogging around to the other side. Finally, he looked up and revealed his face to the camera.

"How the hell did Kim Namjoon get onto the property without anyone noticing?" Mark growled as Namjoon got into his car and drove off.

Jackson rubbed his face, "All of our uniforms are out searching for him and we're already understaffed. No one expected he'd be lurking in our parking lot."

"T-That doesn't make sense." Shownu worded out as his body started to shake, "Why would he risk everything by coming over here?"

Jackson laughed, "People aren't perfect. Especially the ones that go off the deep end. Sooner or later their rationality runs out and they start acting on emotion. That's what people like us count on. They slip up and we're there to catch them."

Hyerin couldn't control herself when she lashed out and slapped Jackson on the back of his head. He jumped up and glared at her, "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" 

"You're laughing? You realize that Namjoon is emotionally unhinged, psychotic and has a history of _murder_ and he now has my best friend drugged in his car, right? How does that make you laugh?" She barked.

Mark stayed silent as Jackson looked to him for help with a look of a wounded puppy. Jackson looked back at Hyerin who snarled at him, "Slip up? You mean when he's walking down the street with her blood on his shirt?"

"No." Mark said calmly, "He's already slipped up. We have his plate numbers and we're freezing all his accounts. I've sent officers to arrest his father for fraud and for framing your father. Namjoon has no resources.

"So what now?" Hyungwon asked softly.

"We have to…"Mark's voice trailed off as he looked around the room, his eyes passing over every single one of their faces before he scowled.

"Where the fuck did Wonho go?"

\-----

Yena groaned when she started to come to.

Before her eyes peeled opened, she could already smell the musty, stale air around her. Her head bobbed a few times before she could finally force her eyes open to take in her surroundings.

She was sitting on an elevated platform and her neck and arms were sore. She looked down, her forehead aching and saw her hands taped together at the wrists and a small bouquet of red roses were shoved between her palms. The thorns were not stripped and they dug relentlessly into her skin, pricking blood as she tried twisting her wrists. She stretched her arms out and then felt her blood run cold when she saw something snug on her finger.

Her engagement ring.

Her stomach started to twist nauseously as she snapped her head up, fighting the dizziness before looking around. It looked like she was in a barn, the walls were made of old wooden panels and there was a scattering of hay, dust, and moss on the floor. She didn't know of any barns near Hyerin's place.

Seeing that her feet were free, Yena stood up and staggered a bit until she saw the long pearl white material spill down her waist and onto the ground. Her head spun, as her mind grasped the situation. She looked down at herself and felt her heart stop.

She was wearing a wedding dress.

"Look at my beautiful blushing bride."

\-----

He didn't know where he was going.

He had no direction.

He just had to drive.

Because somehow he was convinced that by being in a car and driving somewhere, he was doing something to save her, to find her. He promised her that it was all over and that she could breathe easier.

He broke that promise.

Wonho's hands were shaking on the steering wheel as he turned the corner and sped down the street. He didn't realize that tears had started to blur his vision until he had nearly run a red light. He quickly pulled over on to the side of the road and stared blankly at the steering wheel before clenching his teeth and slamming his palm into the leather repeatedly. She didn't deserve this, she didn't deserve to have her life ruined by a man like Kim Namjoon, she deserved to be happy and to smile and _fuck_ he would cut off his right arm to make her smile. A slow smile curled up his lips at the memory of her smile pressed between his shoulder blades,the warmth wrapping him up in a safe security blanket. Her hair was a mess and she was dressed like she worked in the shop with him and by far he had never seen a more heart-stopping sight in the world. 

She was so happy that night. Just carefree and happy.

He leaned his head against the wheel and felt the tears slip down his cheeks as his body trembled violently. He had to hand it to Namjoon, even in the most hysterical of states, he knew exactly what choke points to hit to break people down in the most painful, soul-wrenching ways.

Wonho sat up and wiped his face before pulling back onto the road.

Not this time.

He wouldn't let Namjoon take away anyone else from him ever again.

\-----

"His bike is still out front." Jackson reported as he ran back to where everyone else was standing.

Mark's eye twitched, "Is anyone missing their keys?"

Everyone patted their pockets and checked their key rings until Shownu hissed. Mark ran his teeth along his bottom lip, "I'm guessing he took them from you when we were watching the video?"

"What do we do, now? He's going to try to do this by himself." Jooheon said, worriedly.

Jackson knit his brows together, "No, he has no idea where to find them."

"So, he's just on his own?" Hyerin asked softly.

Jackson chewed on the inside of his cheek, "He wants to feel useful and just wanted to be on the road. He's worried about her, anyone in his position would be right, Mark?"

Mark closed his eyes, his mind running over a hundred possibilities before he cursed under his breath, "Fuck. Okay." He opened his eyes and everyone stiffened when they saw the dark, threatening look, "That Wonho guy, shit, he loves her doesn't he?"

Jackson looked at his partner incredulously as the others gaped at him with the same look, "What are you talking about, man? What does tha--"

"Just answer the question." Mark said tiredly.

"I think so, yes." Kihyun blurted out. "I-I mean, we never, like, asked him bu-but, I'm pretty sure."

"He does." Shownu said stoically while looking at Mark, "He told me." Everyone else held their breath, their eyes coating in sympathy.

"I learned this early on and it might be incredibly short sighted and proof of my lack of sane judged but..." Mark said quietly, "You'd be shocked at how much strength someone is capable of possessing when they're protecting someone that they love."

Minhyuk gave him an absurd look, "You're a cop and you're letting a civilian do _your_ job?"

"No." Mark said with a glare. He turned to Shownu, "I'm assuming you have his number?"

He nodded before pulling out his phone.

"I need you to sit with an officer--BAMBAM!" Mark called out to an officer that was passing by, "You're going to sit with BamBam who is going to go through all the security cameras and street cameras that Namjoon's car appeared on and you're going to text those locations to Wonho. We'll follow behind." He said while tucking his gun into his holster and pulling his leather jacket over his shoulders.

Shownu snapped out of his daze and raised his voice, "This is not typical police procedure, is it?"

"Not unless you want to get fired and possibly charged." Mark said with an easy smirk while nodding at Jackson.

Shownu licked his lip and turned his cellphone over in his hands, "So why are you doing it?"

"Because I've been in Wonho's position before and fuck me if I ever tell a man not to try to protect someone he loves."

\-----

Yena felt her breathing catch in her throat as she stared at him, dressed in a sharp suit, "W-What did you do? Why am I here?"

When she stood up, he pushed her back down in her seat and leaned close to her face, "Because it's time to get married."

"N-No. Let go of me." She yelled while trashing around.

Namjoon held her down with dark eyes, "Sit still. We've been planning this for months and you were so excited for this. It's not exactly in a ballroom but it'll do, right?"

"I don't want to marry you." She felt so useless, unable to do anything other than whimper softly.

He gripped her jaw and tilted her chin back, making her whimper, "You don't have much of a choice, honey."

"Let me go, Namjoon. No one needs to know that you brought me here. I won't tell anyone. Just let me go. Please." She begged.

Namjoon clucked his tongue, "Sorry dear, this is happening.

"Why me? Why did you pick me out of all the other women? Why me?" She rasped out as tears collected in the corner of her eyes.

He reached out and brushed her hair aside, "It's because people like you don't cross my path very often."

"People like me?" She asked in confusion.

His eyes were glassy and unfocused as he grinned demonically at her, "Victims and since victims are so hard to find, I figured I'd have to make my own."

"Namjoon, please don't." Her voice was cracking and shaking like it was a pane of glass during an earthquake, "Please tell me you're lying."

"Oh dear, no. I would never lie." 

_Namjoon was walking around the perimeter of the campus ground when he saw it._

_A shift looking man, dirty with shreds of cloth draped over his body, trailed behind a younger woman, one that looked more Namjoon's age. Namjoon tilted his head, his brows pulling together as he decided to follow them._

_It wasn't like he had anything better to do._

_The woman seemed oblivious with her earphones stuffed in her ears, blasting music, she couldn't hear anyone closing in on her, matching every step of hers with one of his own. Namjoon craned his neck and caught a glimpse of the woman's face, he had seen her around campus a few times, she was in the education department and was as bright, cheerful and bubbly as they could get. Everyone loved her, including professors that didn't even teach her._

_The man was getting closer to her, following her to a part of the path where the streetlamps weren't as bright and glaringly exposing. Namjoon remembered now, he had gotten an email from campus security about someone harassing women at night and that everyone was warned not to walk around at night alone. This must've been the attacker they were talking about._

_He was about to call campus security or the police when a realization occurred to him. His father had been riding his ass about the company, saying that he wouldn't hand it over to him until he was graduated and married, claiming that it showed he was responsible. But he knew that it was also so that he seemed more trustworthy, with his reputation of playing around, investors didn't want to risk it. They wanted to invest in a loving, loyal husband with a supportive wife that was seen but not heard._

_But in the 21st century with the third wave of feminism crashing down on every woman on campus, where the_ fuck _was he going to find someone like that?_

_He couldn't._

_No._

_He had to make someone like that._

_Someone who would listen to him._

_Someone who would do whatever he said._

_Someone weak._

_A victim._

_Namjoon stopped walking just as the man grabbed the woman. She let out a blood curling scream but Namjoon just put his earphones in and walked to the nearest building and hid around the corner before making a call while watching the homeless man shove her to the ground and climb over her while covering her mouth._

_"Hello?"_

_"Tell my father that I've met a woman." He said stiffly._

_There was silence on the other end before the voice spoke up, "Oh? That's unexpected. Who is she?"_

_"Never mind that. Just let him know."_

_His father's right hand man sounded unsure, "Namjoon, what about Sori? Isn't it risky to bring attention to yourself?"_

_Namjoon saw the man run away while holding his pants and knew that the deed had been done. He turned the corner and saw her holding on her ripped clothing with tears streaming down her face "Don't worry, no one will ever kn--hey…what the hell? Are you okay?"_

_He should have won an award for his acting. He had always been so good at it, even when he was a kid. He knew how to pretend to hold his breath as a threat when his mother wouldn't let him stay up late or cry when he didn't get the toy he wanted. This was the same._

_His father was the best at it, though. Yes, he learned how his father ran thing, how he did things so Namjoon knew exactly how to proceed._

_The girl looked up at him with vacant, broken eyes. Eyes that looked like they had no hope, nothing to hang onto, like she had given up. She was stripped down to nothing but a hollowed out shell and the bubbly persona, the bright smile and the radiant naivety that she carried with her had shriveled up and dried out._

_She was broken._

_And he was going to pick the pieces up and rearrange them._

_"H-Help." She rasped out desperately._

_Yes. He thought._

_Yes. He was going to help her._

She wanted to vomit and her stomach curled as she stared at him with widened, horror filled eyes. "N-No. You didn't."

"I was going to take you to my personal doctor but the police came and I couldn't risk being on the front pages of the tabloids anymore, so I ran. But I came back. I came back for you." He said calmly.

Yena felt bile rise in her throat before she leaned over and threw up on Namjoon's shoes. He lifted her hands and wiped her mouth on her arm before trembling, "Y-You let me get raped. You just sat back and let it happen when you could've stopped it. You could've saved me for real. Y-You let him do that to me and you watched."

"I didn't let anything happen to you. If it wasn't for me, you'd been locked up in that nut house." He cooed but she shoved him away and tried to stand but he shoved her back down.

"You knew how hard it was for me. You knew how I was barely hanging on and you still made me believe that I _owed_ you." Her voiced started to rise, "I _fucking_ hate you. You sick, twisted bastard. You fucking psycho." She spat.

He laughed as if there was nothing wrong with the picture in front of him, "You were glowing after I brought you in."

"Do you want to know what it was like for me? To have to kill every last part of what made me, me just so that I could be the woman you wanted just because I felt that I owed you? I had something ripped out of my life, taken from me without my consent and just when I was losing the sense of who I was, you made sure you hammered in the final nail. You took the most traumatic thing in my life and used it against me whenever I did something you didn't like. Those 6 years were _hell_ and I actually thought that you loved me. That you liked me. But you just wanted to make sure that I never left you. You only ever thought about yourself and never once about how I was falling apart." She said as anger, year and year of pent of rage, started to boil to the surface. Curling and pumping through her blood as she stared up at him with fury blaring in her eyes.

He shrugged. "You always smiled."

"Everything I did was fake and I could barely breathe in my own house. You might think that I was living the life everyone envied, but the entire time I felt like I was drowning. I felt _alone_. But I always hung on because I felt bad. You saved me when I was terrified and violated. If only I had known that you _let_ it happen to me. Then maybe we could've turned out differently. Maybe I would've never met you. Maybe I would have learned to be happy because you know what? The last couple of weeks since I've left you, I had no job, no house, no income and I was constantly afraid of what you'd do next to me…but I also have never felt more free and happy in my life." She roared.

Namjoon was emotionless as he watched her, "You women are all the same. Just changing your mind without realizing the consequences."

Yena lifted her head, her eyes tearing up, "Why did you kill that girl?"

Namjoon grinned, "Because she was chickening out. She wanted to tell the police what we had done when he turned up dead. She felt guilty."

"Why didn't you feel guilty?" She whispered.

He tilted his head while staring at her with frozen eyes, "Because that's for the weak."

"But you _are_ weak. You're the weakest person I know and I can't stand you." She said venomously.

"And yet, you're going to marry me."

\-----

"Freeze! Put your hands in the air."

Namjoon's father closed his eyes and let go of the papers that he was feeding through the shredder and slowly raised his hands in the air before turning around. One of the police officers unplugged the machine while another grabbed his wrist and pinned it behind his back before slapping cuffs on.

"It's the end for you, Mr. Kim. You're done."

His face lost all colour but his voice stayed steady, "I want my lawyer."

"Yeah and people in hell want ice water. I guess you'll both have to wait." 

\-----

"Do you Ahn Yena, take Kim Namjoon to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

He was officiating but she shouldn't have been surprised. He couldn't exactly bring a real priest to officiate the marriage between a man and his kidnapped ex. Her entire body was slumped forward, exhausted at the absolute helplessness that she felt.

The entire thing was a sick performance.

When she was a little girl, she imagined what her wedding would be like. She imagined the pretty fairy lights that would be hung up, the red and white flowers that she would've chosen herself that would line the aisle. She'd be in a dress she'd pick out and hold a bouquet that was handcrafted to her liking.

And holy _fuck_ she would be in love.

When she was a little girl, the sky had no limits and nothing in the world could stop her from dreaming of anything her heart could desire and it would feel like it was in reach. Like she could actually obtain the dreams that used to feel so wild and unrealistic.

If only the grown up version of the little girl knew.

He pulled a blade from his pocket and brandished it in front of her when he heard her silence before leaning forward and holding it up to her neck.

"Say it." He hissed, his eyes dark and detached.

Yena's eye twitched and her lip hitched up in a snarl, "I'm not scared of you anymore." She whispered with a challenging gaze, "I'd rather you kill me than marry you."

"Well it's a good thing what you say doesn't matter." He said with a sinister grin.

Yena was drenched in sweat, the barn was like a hot box, "What are you talking about?"

"And do you Kim Namjoon take Ahn Yena to be your lawfully wedded wife?" He said, choosing to ignore her question.

"D-Don't do this." She whispered while staring at him in spite.

Namjoon smiled and knelt down to her height, "I do."

"Stop. Don't you dare." She growled.

He reached for her hand and she fought with everything left in her body but her hands were bound and no matter how badly she twisted away, he grabbed her hand and shoved the wedding ring on her finger despite her screams of resistance.

He gripped her shoulders and smiled but instead of feeling full of love in the way that a woman on her wedding day should, she stared at him with tears of eyeliner and mascara streaking down her face. And then she heard the most horrific words in her life, words that she had once longed to hear.

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

When he leaned towards her, she turned her cheek and looked away, avoiding his kiss. "We're not married."

"Yes, we are. I'm ordained and you signed the marriage certificate. We're legally married." He smiled as if he did nothing wrong, as if the mockery of a ceremony that just happened was consensual. As if this was love.

"No, I did--"

He pulled out a piece of paper and showed it to her.

"You forged my signature. You son of a bit--" Namjoon slapped her across the cheek before grabbing her face to stare at her.

"Don't talk to your husband like that." He said, digging his nails into her skin

Yena thrashed in her seat before spitting in his face, making him recoil backwards as her own face stung. "You're not my husband! Stop! Stay the hell away from me."

When he got close enough to her, she screamed and ripped her hands out of the tape and scratched him across the face.

"What the fuck?!" He hissed when she pushed him over to run for the door. Her wrists were raw and bloody from the time she spent using the thorns on the stem to poke holes in the tape until it was loose enough for her to tear through. She headed straight for the barn doors and panted hysterically as she fumbled for the latch.

"Please. Please. Come on." She whispered under breath. She nearly cried when the latch finally came undone but just as she pushed the door open, he grabbed her arm and dug his fingers into the tender flesh of her wrist.

"You think that spend a little time with that garage rat changes you? You think you're a different woman now? Get over yourself. You're still the pathetic little victim, who can't take care of herself and always needs someone else to save her."

She clenched her teeth together, "Am I? I left you without needing a saviour. I did it all on my own and you know what, Namjoon? I'm starting to think you need me more than you think I need you."

"Don't be ridiculous, you'd be alone without me. You think he'll love you like I can? That he'll accept all your flaws and everything's that's wrong with you? No. You're being irrational, throwing everything we had away for him." He grumbled through his clenched teeth.

"It's not for him. I has nothing to do with him." She panted while trying to fight him off. "It's for me. It's so that I can stop feeling miserable about myself. I can start being _happy_."

His lip hitched up in a smirk, "You can't be happy without a man. I mean, look at you. You left me just to jump into the arms of another man. You changed who you are for another man. Your happiness relies on the men you're with, not on yourself."

"You're wrong." She said with a laugh, "Dear god, you are so wrong this time, Namjoon. Wonho…is…shit." She cursed with a laugh and a shake of her head, "Wonho is one of the most amazing men I've ever met in my life. Being with him is nothing like how it felt to be with you but you better get something straight. I felt _alive_ , like I could take on the world and set everything else on fire. But I don't need Wonho to survive. I don't need you to make me feel safe. I don't need anyone to survive. And you're not a man, you're a boy who can't take no for an answer."

He slapped her across the cheek but Yena couldn't feel the pain, she just laugh as he grabbed her shoulders, "Don't say another man's name in front of me."

"Look at you." She cooed, "You act like I'm the one that can't live without you but you can't even imagine the idea of me with another man. Did it hurt? When you saw the pictures of him dancing with me? Holding me. Touching me." She closed her eyes and sighed, "Oh _god_ , the way he touched me. And how he made me laugh when he looked at me. Another man doing all the things that you never could."

Namjoon kicked the chair over and sent Yena sliding across the floor with a pained groaned. She looked at him and shook her head in disbelief, "Why are you like this? What happened to you?"

"I was born like this. In a world where control meant power. I was taught never to fail and to win by any means necessary." His voice was steely and robotic he said while crouching down to watch her struggle to sit up right.

Yena tried to pry out of his grasp but his nails were digging into the cuts on his wrist, "And that includes kidnapping women?"

"That's what my father did."

Yena's grew still and stopped fighting against him just to stare, "Y-Your mom?"

"How do you think he got her to marry him?"

"I-I--"

"He raped her too."

Yena felt her throat close up as her eyes filled with tears as she weakly tried to push him away, "W-What?"

"He had to break her in and make sure she didn't try to run away. I mean, how else do you think she got pregnant and had me?" He asked with a dry laugh.

Yena started to shake as her eyes flickered across his face as horror seeped into her bones, "You did that to me…you made me your mother."

"I never raped you!" He yelled before punching a hole next to her head, making her jump with a scream. 

She lifted her head while shivering, "No, but you let it happen to me because I would be as easy to control and manipulate me as your mother. You could've stopped him but you didn't. You just watched. How does that make you any better?"

"I did it to save you. I could've picked anyone and I could've done what my father did but I didn't. I cared." He said, his voice cracking. Her eyes darted to the glass bottle sitting on the table next to her.

She looked at him as he leaned towards her and felt tears slip down her cheeks, "I'm so sorry for you. I'm sorry that your childhood was that messed up. I'm sorry you were so unloved…but I'm not going to thank you for what you did to me. Your pain wasn't an excuse for mine."

"You ungrateful bi--

She pushed him back by the chest, "You ruined me! You broke me down and closed me away from everyone but you so that you could make me into what you wanted. And after all these years you can't get it through your head that I have nothing to be grateful for. The one thing you held over me was the fact that you saved me, but you're the reason it happened. You ruined my life and you won't stop. I HATE YOU!" She struck him across the face with the bottle and kicked him back with her foot before throwing the door open and running out.

She didn't care if she died tonight.

She didn't care if he shot her or stabbed her or pushed her off a cliff.

All she cared about was that she was going to be free and wouldn't let her .

Or die trying.


	40. Chapter 40

She ran without looking back at him. She didn't want to know how close on her heels he was. She just had to run without looking back and just let her feet pounding against the ground, the rocks splintering her skin as blood from her lip continued to dribble onto her dress.

Car.

She needed to find his car.

He had to have driven her up there somehow which meant that his car had to be somewhere near here. She ran around the corner and found a silver car parked near some trees. Stumbling over her feet, she ran up to it and pulled on the handle, nearly screaming when it opened. She slammed the door shut and locked the doors just as Namjoon slammed into the side of the car before beating his palms into the window.

"Get out of the car, Yena! Where the hell do you think you're going?" He yelled.

Yena flinched when he slammed against the window, the car shaking. Her trembling hands reached for the ignition before she froze.

There were no keys.

She had no way to start the car.

"No." She whispered to herself as she gripped the steering wheel. "No!" She screamed before shaking her body back and forth in anger. "NO!"

She was trapped in the car.

Namjoon must've realized her predicament because he stopped banging on her window and slowly walked to the front of her car. She watched in horror as he lifted a rock and threw it at her. She screamed and ducked her head on instinct, but the rock just bounced off after creating a crack in the middle.

In a panic, she leaned over and opened the glove box, shifting through the contents, looking for anything to defend herself with while Namjoon continued trying to break through the window. Tired of being trapped by Namjoon over and over again, she decided that she would fight this beast head on. She opened the door and stepped out before closing the door after her. Namjoon froze with the rock lifted above his head before letting it fall to the ground. "Don't ever run away from me, again."

"I'm sorry." She whimpered as he walked closer to her.

He gripped her chin, taking in her mascara streaked face before holding his knife up, "I know you're sorry, but you still need to pay."

\-----

Wonho had driven through the forest area after following the directions that Shownu was texting him and just barrelled through the shrubbery. He ignored the branches that were scraping against the car that was bouncing as he sped through the uneven terrain.

There he spotted the roof of a barn poking out. He spun the car and drove over the grass and towards the barn. He parked haphazardly next to the building before jumping out and racing into the building. He pushed the door open and stared at the sight before him.

Shattered chair, broken glass and a makeshift stage. He walked to the chair and stared, deflated, at the remains until he found a small splatter of blood. His heart dropped before shoving the side door open and running out to the yard, running around while looking around in panic.

Then he heard the scream.

Wonho never ran as fast in his life as he charged towards the sound. He turned the corner and saw a car with a shattered front window until he saw Yena standing, in a torn, white wedding dress with bright red drops of blood on her collar and a knife in her hand, over Namjoon who was crumpled in a heap on the ground.

"Y-YENA!" He screamed as he raced towards her.

She lifted her head and let out a gasp when he rammed into her, wrapping his arms around her. "Oh my god." He whispered into her hair. "Oh, thank fucking god."

"I didn't kill him." She said, her voice trembling. "I swear I didn't kill him."

Wonho pulled away and look at Namjoon's body, "What happened?"

"I drugged him." She rasped before holding up the piece of cloth that Namjoon had used to drug her. "It was still damp."

Wonho sighed and just hugged her, holding her to his body, basking in her warmth, "It's okay. You did it. You're going to be okay."

"W-What now?" She whispered against his shirt.

Wonho could hear the voices of police officers yelling in the background and just held her tighter, "Nothing. You're done. You're free."

\-----

Wonho walked into the hospital, after leaving Yena with Hyerin and the other guys. He strolled through the hallways before stopping in front of one room. Yena had told him every detail of what happened at the barn and he felt the need to do this. To get this off his chest.

He walked into the room and stared at Namjoon, staring vacantly at him, most likely pumped full of medication. Mark had told him that after being treated, Namjoon would most likely be convicted of drug laundering, kidnapping, assault, corporate fraud and of course, the murder of Sori and the role he played with Gunhee. If he testified against his father for what he knew about his mother's kidnapping and rape, his sentence time would be lessened. Shownu had convinced Namjoon's mother to testify, so his father was never going to see the light of day.

"Hey." Wonho called out brusquely.

Namjoon stared at him before looking away but Wonho wasn't trying to make him comfortable, "Don’t look away from me. You don't deserve the right to avoid my eyes."

"What do you want from me?" Namjoon rasped before looking at him.

Wonho just stared at him passively, "I don't know."

"I'm sorry." Namjoon said, his voice small and weak.

Wonho's eyes were hard and armoured, "I know you are…but you've hurt the people I love, caused them damage that can't be undone. Lives were lost and people were destroyed just so you can have your way. I don't know if I'm ready to forgive you yet but I do want you to get better. Honestly. You had an awful childhood and you need to get better."

"What about Yena?" Namjoon asked nervously.

Wonho hesitated, his eyes flickering over Namjoon's face and crossed his arms. "She wants you to get better but I don't think she's ready to see you yet. Not for a really long time. I wouldn't hold your breath for her because she might not ever want to see you."

"Are you taking care of her?" His wrists were cuffed to his hospital bed but Wonho could see how his finger twisted together.

Wonho shook his head with darkened eyes, "That's one thing that I hope you learn, Namjoon. People don't need other people to get better. People like Yena are capable of taking care of themselves."

"My dad's in jail." Namjoon said to himself.

Wonho shrugged, he didn't care for his father, "He knew the risks, Namjoon. He knew that we did was wrong and did what he wanted anyways. He got what he deserved."

"But I'm all alone now. W-What do I do? I'm all alone."

Wonho wondered if he and Namjoon would have ever gotten along if the circumstances were different. If he had a different upbringing and if he turned out differently, maybe Namjoon would've been a close friend.

But that universe didn't exist.

Namjoon didn't have a different upbringing. He still hurt and tried to take away everyone he loved.

"Now. Now you just try to get better and make amends with yourself before you try reaching out to the people you hurt."

Namjoon nodded slowly before looking at Wonho, "I think if I wasn't on medication right now, I would've hated you."

"Why?" Wonho muttered with knit brows.

Namjoon looked away, "It's obvious she loves you. She loves you the way that I wish someone loved me. It's pure with no other motive other than to just love you. And I hate that someone else is getting that love when I could've had it myself."

"I'm not going to apologize for how I feel about her." Wonho said quietly.

Namjoon had tears collect in the corner of his eyes before blinking them away, "I'm not going to ask you to. But that's not the only reason I should hate you."

"What other reason is there?" Wonho asked with a snort.

Namjoon rolled his head over to face Wonho, "I hate you for being related to your uncle because if you weren't, he'd have no reason to give you that USB." 

\-----

It had taken Yena 2 days before she could convince Hyerin to let her out of the apartment on her own. After giving endless statements and talking her throat dry, she needed time to herself.

Time to just think.

Shownu told her that he could easily get the marriage annulled based on the circumstances involved. He offered to help her pawn the rings so that she could have some money, but she had refused. Maybe she was just superstitious, but she felt like the rings were bad luck and she didn't want to pass it off to another couple, so she had just thrown them into the lake.

Yena walked around for a while longer, basking in the freedom and sense of belonging she had finally started to feel. It was different to the how she felt before, the niggling in the back of her mind was gone and the fear of glancing over her shoulder starting to fade. Her wrists were still sore but it was easier for her to push away the events from the barn.

She was just so happy to be free that she didn't care about whatever happened before. She just wanted to keep looking forward. Shownu and his father assured her that they would take care of any legal matters and try to keep her out of it unless they had to bring it to her, so she could have her fresh start.

Yena stopped in front of a little shop and stared at the sign, she had heard good things about the place, before opening the door and stepping in. A small bell chimed, signalling her entrance and the cashier smiled at her.

"Hello there! Welcome!" She was cheerful, her smile blinding and beautiful that Yena felt her own lips quirk up.

"Hi." She said softly before surveying the display. "I'm…not really sure what to get. This is my first time here"

The woman didn't miss a beat, "Well, what are you feeling?"

"Uh...I guess something sweet an--"

The woman chuckled, "No, I mean, what are you feeling in there." She said while pointing to her heart.

Yena blinked at the woman before frowning, "Um…I guess I feel…like a change. I mean, like I want to change. That I need a change."

"Well." She said while sliding the display open, "People always ask me why the price for the red velvet cupcake is the same as the chocolate one. Every other flavour is priced differently based on flavour, why are these two the same?"

The cashier pulled out the tray of red velvet cupcakes and showed them to Yena, "The thing that a lot of people don't know is that red velvet cakes are basically chocolate cakes with red food colouring and cream cheese icing. But even when you know that they're the same, something about it still tastes different and anyone can tell that the cakes are different even though the insides are the same."

"Doesn't that make the change superficial? If it's just on the outside?"

The woman laughed with a nod, "You're right but at the same time change is still change. Some people start from the outside and work their way in and other people go from the inside out. I just think it's amazing that something can start as one thing but somewhere in the process, can become something else."

"Like batter or dough turning into a pastry?"

The woman paused before scrunching up her nose, "That's a way better analogy."

Yena laughed as the woman took one of the slices off the tray and started packing it, "This is on the house."

"Oh, that can't be more than a few dollars, I should just pay for i--"

The woman held her hand out to stop her, "Trust me, some people just deserve a pick me up."

Yena took the bag and turned away before pausing and looking back to face the woman, "By the way, I love your hair. It's so pretty. I've never seen someone pull off lavender hair that well."

"Oh thank you." She said with a surprised laugh as she ran her fingers through the strands, "See? Some changes can be good changes."

\-----

"Thanks for coming." Yena said with a grin when Wonho sat in front of her at a small coffee shop.

He smiled, basking in her glow, "Anytime. What's up?"

"I...um." She laughed. "I made a pretty big decision today and I told Hyerin about it and I wanted to tell you before I tell the other guys."

"Okay." He said carefully, watching her move.

She pulled a small envelope out of her purse and slid it over to him. His brows were knit together as he stared at her before he picked up the envelope and pulled out the contents before skimming over it.

"Argentina?" He said with raised brows.

She bit back her smile and nodded, "It's just for a little while, nothing permanent, maybe a few months. An old colleague of mine moved there to teach at a school for underprivileged children. I called her about it a few days ago, she offered me a position there and I had to say yes. I couldn't pass it up."

"Why Argentina?" He didn't sound judgemental or mean, he sounded honestly curious.

She shrugged with a bashful smile, "It's where my senior class went for their grad trip and I never got to go." Her smile faltered but her eyes still seemed happy, "I need to get out of this city for a while. I don't want to leave, I wouldn't dream of it. My life is still here but I need to see what else is out there. I need to remind myself that there is a world outside my life and that I can live in that world now."

"It sounds fun." He said with an honest grin, "I'm glad you're going. I think it'll be good for you."

"I'm a little nervous, I can speak barely passable English and I can't speak Spanish to save my life but I want the change." She said with a light laugh. "I just know that if I can do this, if I can go to Argentina and make it back, I can assure myself that I have the power to see the world. That I can be wherever I want and still be happy and that happiness exists where I am. Then, whenever I want to see another part of the world, that I have strength to just go out there and do it."

His heart was on fire.

And he would bet his life savings that he could sit in this chair and watch her talk about everything that made her happy for the rest of his life.

"I'm going to go see the world." She said with a smile so pure and so blinding that Wonho _swore_ it was love.

His eyes warmed as he leaned closer to her, "Yeah?" 

"Yup!" She said cheerfully before tilting her head, "You want to come with? I'm sure there are cars that need your expert touch in Argentina."

 _Yes. Yes. Yes. God, yes._ _I want to be where you want to go._ He wanted to scream, but instead, he just chuckled and shook his head. "Sorry Red, planes aren't really my thing, not to mention there's no better way to see the world than on your own."

"You sure?" She asked with a cheeky pout. He could see the excitement bubbling in her eyes. He loved it. He loved that she could put her entire heart and soul into something that made her happy without waiting in fear for the other shoe to drop.

He nodded and reached out before slowly lacing their fingers together, her smooth soft ones tucked into his large calloused ones, "But let's make a deal, you come back and tell me all about your trip and if it sounds fun, then me and you can see the world again…together."

He knew what he was doing.

He had been there before. Self discovery was always the best when the only person you spent time with was yourself. If you love yourself. If you learn to love your own company you'll never feel the fear of wanting to turn on yourself and that's what she needed and that's what he was going to give her, even if meant not seeing her for a long, long time.

Sure, there was a selfish part of him that wanted her to stay, that wanted her to be close to him so that he could be there with _I love you_ on his tongue the minute her heart was ready. He was nervous, wondering if she'd still care about him when she decided to come back.

If she'd still want him.

Or if in the months that she was gone, their bond would start to fade. Their friendship was still new, only a few months old and yes, it was a deep one, but he wondered if it would stay as strong when she was across the world on a different continent and they weren't able to see each other every day.

Maybe over time, they would be so used to being without each other that the distance would drift them apart until they just didn't care that much about the other person. That the feelings he felt for her and any sort of embers that she felt for him would be extinguished and they would just be strangers again. He was afraid that every step he made towards her would be undone and he'd never be able to reach her. But he wasn't that selfish. He wasn't going to tell her to stay, he wasn't going to stop her from finally taking charge of her life. 

He would just have to watch her leave and hope for the best.

"Okay." She said with a trusting smile and an enchanting whisper. "I need to go. I have to get some anti-viral shots and then I need to run errands before I start packing. 3 days is a lot shorter than I thought."

He let go of her fingers and watched her stand up and pick up her bag, "Can I drive you to the airport?"

She looked at him, her heart melting and smiled, "I'd love that." 

\-----

"Why'd you do it?"

Wonho's uncle looked up and his eyes widened when he saw his nephew standing by the office door, "W-What are you doing here?"

"I want answers. So why'd you do it? Why did you send that video to Hyerin?" His voice trembled as he fisted his hands by his side.

Wonho's uncle closed his eyes, "Wonho--"

"No." He snapped, "It took me a week before I could get the courage to talk to you. You _are_ going to answer my question."

His uncle sighed in resignation, "I saw one of Shownu's paralegals poking around and I found out it was because Hyerin was asking, so I figured it was the best way to leak that video without being implicated."

"Why help us take him down? You worked with him and his father for _years_ , why betray them?" Wonho asked in utter confusion.

His uncle laughed and looked down at his feet, "I loved your dad. He was the best brother I could ever ask for and your mother was like the sister I never had. When I found out that Namjoon's father was the reason he died I wanted revenge. His father was sadistic and ate up my sob story of needing to make ends meet and hired me. I basically cleaned up all of Namjoon's messes, so I started tracking every wrong thing he did, hoping he'd finally screwed up big. I made copies of all of his videos and files and it finally paid off."

"You took that job just to ruin them?" Wonho asked in disbelief.

His uncle smiled slightly, "Espionage sounds cooler, but yeah. I would never hurt you or my brother."

"But you wanted me to take the settlement. You wanted me to sign the non-disclosure clause." Wonho sputtered.

His uncle just snorted, "No, I just wanted to piss you off until you finally decided to figure it out on your own."

"Holy shit." Wonho mumbled. "So now what?"

He shrugged. "Now we need to restructure and rebrand this company and find someone to take over." He looked up at Wonho with raised brows, "You know, with the right paper work, we could get you in charge of the company."

"No thanks." Wonho said with a sigh, "Nothing can make me happier than the way my life is, right now."

He walked up to Wonho and caught his eyes, "You know that I never wanted to betray you or your parents. This was my way of fighting for them."

"I get that now." Wonho said softly, "But I wish you found another way to do it because then I wouldn't have felt so alone and abandoned by my family."

"I know. I was wrong and I wish I could take it back or at least tell you what I was trying to do." He croaked out.

"But you're here now." Wonho said with half a smile, "We can start over and I heard that Kim Incorporated is looking for a new CEO anyways."

Wonho's uncle chuckled as if the entire idea was farfetched, "How about Yena? How is she through all of this?"

"Incredible." Wonho said with laugh, "You'd think she'd be shaken up, but the girl is just damn liberated. She's been waiting to fly for a long time."

"And now she doesn't have anyone clipping her wings."


	41. Chapter 41

Wonho counted down the days to Yena's departure and had never felt this conflicted before. On one hand, he was thrilled that she was finally taking a huge step for herself, shedding everything off before starting anew, but that didn't mean that he wasn't going to miss her and didn't have fears and uncertainties of his own.

Which was why Yena was watching him carefully when he drove her to the airport 3 days later in utter silence, "Is everything okay?" She asked.

Wonho raised his brows and glanced at her from the side of his eye, "What do you mean?"

"I don't know, you're awfully quiet." She hummed while lowering the volume on the radio.

He shook his head with a light laugh and continued down the freeway, "I'm fine, I was just thinking about stuff."

"What stuff?" She cooed while leaning towards him.

His lips hitched up in a grin, "You."

Yena heart flipped and shivers ran down her spine before tilting her head, "What about me?"

"Just…things."

Yena frowned and reached out to grab his hair, making him wince and slap at her hands, "I'm driving,Yena! Jesus Christ! What are you doing?!"

"Answer me!" She yelled with a laugh.

"Fine!" Wonho laughed and grabbed her wrist with one hand and pulled it out of his hair before lacing their fingers together to stop her from reaching for his hair again. He set their hands on the seat divider and continued to drive with one hand on the wheel. "I was just thinking about how different things are going to be when you're gone."

Yena's lips fell into a straight line, "Oh…yeah."

"But it'll be great." He mumbled while trying not to make her feel down, "Everyone's going to be dying to hear your stories so you better have some good ones to tell."

She smiled as he pulled into the airport parking lot, "I'll make it my mission."

"And your parents?" Yena's hand tightened around his in response.

"Me and Hyerin convinced my mom and dad to move to a care facility. One of the best ones. I filled my mom in on everything that happened and they know I'm going to Argentina. They're happy for me and when I come back, I'm going to try to find an apartment near their care home and see them a lot. I think it's going to be okay." Yena said with a gentle tug in her voice. 

"Can I go visit them?" He asked nervously.

Yena looked at him in surprise, "Really?"

He shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal, "You won't be around and I think your father would like to see another familiar face."

"Thank you." She whispered while tightening her hand again.

"It's nothing. I like talking to your dad. He sort of reminds me of my own." He said wistfully. 

Yena smiled and stared out the window, "I think he likes you too."

\-----

Wonho stood next to Yena at the furthest point he go inside the airport without actually needing a ticket and felt his heart weigh down like a numb brick.

"Well, this is it." He breathed out. "How are you feeling?"

She gripped the cart that was stacked with her suitcases before letting out a breath, "Nervous but excited."

He couldn't stop his smile and just reached out and brushed her hair back in adoration, "You are so fucking kickass, I swear I need to pick up some pointers."

She laughed and Wonho wanted to take that sound and weave into every memory of her and wrap it around him like a blanket. He nudged his shoulders just as an announcement called for her flight to start boarding.

"That's your cue."

She looked at him, her eyes flashing uncertainty for the first time but Wonho just nudged her head with his, "You're going to have so much fun."

"I know." She said to herself with a brisk nod.

Wonho stepped back and let her take a step forward before calling out to her, "I'll see you around, Red."

Yena stopped in her tracks and stared straight ahead for a moment before turning back to look at Wonho who was watching her, confused. She looked back at the boarding gate before letting go of her cart and walking up to him.

"What are you doing?" He asked with knit brows. "You're going to miss your flight."

Yena nodded before placing her hands on his shoulders. His arms were around her waist in a second but his brows were knit, "Is everything okay?"

"God, yes." She whispered before pushing herself up on her tippy toes and pressing her lips against his in a soft kiss. Wonho froze like everything had stilled and part of him wasn't sure if she was actually kissing him or if this was another one of those treacherous nightmares where he'd end up waking up cold and alone.

But it wasn't. She was real and _painfully_ warm.

She was kissing him and in a moment his arms were pulling her back into him by the waist, tucking her gently against him as he took her mouth like it was his only way to live. Her hands slid up his shoulders and cupped his cheeks and Yena swore on her life that she had never kissed a man like this and she had never felt this way before while she was doing it. He was everything that made her want to hold onto this man for dear life and never let go. His hands slid up her sides and around her back and she sighed when something wonderful curled in the pits of her stomach as warmth exploded from inside out.

That's what he was, wasn't he? Warmth. Searing, passionate, risk-taking, fiery, secure warmth. He made her feel safe, happy and completely and totally at ease. That was the most important thing, right? around him, she could be whoever she chose to be.

And in that moment that was when she figured it out.

 _This is how it's supposed to feel_.

Wonho swiped his tongue against her lips, making her gasp and his entire body was set ablaze when he heard the soft noise and just pulled her tighter against him. He had imagined, far too many times, the way he'd feel when he finally got the chance to kiss Yena. But nothing could compare to the way her fingers dug into his scalp and her heart raced against his as he committed every hitched breath and slide of her mouth to memory.

He had pulled away, thinking she needed a moment to catch her breath, but a _barely_ audible whine escaped her throat and she was pulling him back in with glazed eyes full of something so satisfying that Wonho threw all caution to the wind. What else could he do when she looked like beauty personified?

He bent down and wrapped his arms around her waist before lifting her up in the air. Her legs found purchase by his hips and he was glad that no one else was on their way to the boarding gate at that very moment because he didn't want to stop kissing her. He didn't want to think about other people, he just wanted to taste every nuance of her flavor. He tilted his neck back and stared at her while she looked down to meet his gaze.

Yena panted as she stared at him and could read the internal battle in his eyes when he looked at her, "Just say it." She whispered tauntingly while cupping his cheek. "Just tell me."

"I love you." He whispered while darting his eyes back and forth between each of hers.

Yena's entire body flinched as if she was hit was gust of cold air and just slid her fingers through the hairs on his nape and leaned down to kiss him again while he held her up above the world and made her dizzy with nothing but his entire being. He had a tongue made of blue fire and she was made of crystal ice, melting under him, soaking up his warmth to reform herself.

He was drawing love on her mouth with his lips and she wanted him to taste her on her tongue even when she wasn't around. Sometimes you hold your breath when you think something bad is going to happen and you just want to brace for the worst but other times you want to hold your breath because a moment is so perfect that you're afraid that the slightest breeze would knock everything down.

This was one of those moments.

His entire being was buzzing erratically and it was like liquid courage was forcing its way through his body and lifted him up, up, up, until he was soaring so high up that he wasn't scared of the drop down. He used one hand to cup her cheek and reveled in her skin feeling like it was made of purely spun silk and took a sharp inhale when she bit down gently on his lip while the tips of her fingers rested on his throat. She kissed him like she was burying secrets and stars into his mouth for safekeeping until she returned to take them back.

It took everything in Wonho's power to not drop to his knees and roll her onto her back because he figured it'd be too inappropriate, so he settled with letting her slip her tongue into his mouth and tried to stay upright when she hummed softly into his mouth. Finally, he pulled away and leaned his head on her forehead before setting her down on the ground. He kissed her again, softly and languidly before letting go of her waist. "Go see the world." He whispered with a smile that was dripping her radiance.

"I'll tell you all about it when I get back." She whispered against his mouth. He grinned and nodded before letting her kiss him again, smiling into the softness that was her, before letting go of her waist. He kissed her once more but on the side of her head, something protective and comforting like a sweet farewell before stepping away to let her walk back to her luggage.

Wonho watched as his love walked away but he smiled knowing that he could wait for her to come back.

**Month 1**

Yena fixed her baseball hat around her head and wiped the sweat off her forehead as she continued trailing behind her friend.

"Oh come on, Yena! You can better than that!" Her former colleague turned new employer called out.

Yena grumbled as she hiked up the tall mountain, "I'm coming! Jeez, you never told me that you do this every morning."

Sooyeon laughed, "Come on! It's refreshing and the view at the top will make it all worth it. We're almost there."

Yena didn't complain anymore and just fought through her burning calves as they moved up the mountain. She had to admit, it was exhilarating. the trees and wildlife around her was untouched and glorious and even though she was drenched in sweat, she was shivering from excitement.

"Here we are." Sooyeon said as she rested her hands on her hips.

Yena came up behind her, her eyes widening and her breath catching as she took in the landscape below her. "Oh my god."

"Amazing, right? This is why I dragged you out here so early this morning. It's killer spot to watch the sunrise."

Sooyeon wasn't lying. The sun was already halfway up, it's rays melting over the trees and small mountains to create a warm cast over it all. It felt like the entire world was waking up to a gold blanket. It was breathtaking and no photo would ever do it justice, the shadows, dimensional angles and curves made the entire sight look almost unreal. 

"Was it worth it?" Sooyeon asked with a triumphant smile.

Yena laughed, unable to tear her eyes away from the sight in front of her. She felt so…accomplished, making it to the top.

"The hardest things to get always are."

**Month 2**

"Wonho. It's one date just meet her and get to know each other. One day, that's it. I swear."

Wonho didn't bat an eye as he signed some paperwork. Mr.Jung had retired a month ago, effectively handing the business over to Wonho which meant that he went from having flexible hours to having to be at the shop every day from start to finish.

It was tiring and sometimes stressful but he loved every second of it.

"LP, I don't think you're supposed to try to set your boss up on blind dates." Wonho muttered without looking up.

LP threw his hands in the air, "Are you kidding me? You're not my boss, you're my friend. My single friend who isn't letting me get him laid."

"You're about to go from friend to fired if you keep this up." Wonho said with a pointed look.

LP pouted and as he slouched in the seat across from him, "But she's really pretty and funny. I think you'd really like her."

"Date her yourself, LP. I'll pass." Wonho said with a small smile. "I'm not really looking for a girlfriend."

LP frowned and stared at Wonho's desk where three pictures sat. One of him and his friends from highschool, one of him, his friends, Hyerin and Yena and finally one just of him and Yena. LP picked that picture up, making Wonho look up while he stared at it. "Is it because of her?"

"I don't want to go on your blind date, LP. Now get back to work." Wonho said before looking away.

LP stared at the picture, "I thought she was out of the country."

"She is." He confirmed.

LP nodded as if he was hit by a realization, "And you turning down blind dates because of her?"

"I am." Wonho said without hesitating.

"So you clearly want to be going on a date with her instead." LP frowned to himself as he set the frame down, "When is she coming back?"

Wonho twirled his pen and leaned back in his seat with a smile of ease as he stared at the picture, "When she's ready."

**Month 4**

Yena had picked up her fair share of Spanish in the four months she spent in Argentina.

Of course, she would never claim to be fluent and her Korean accent still bled through sometimes, but she could still communicate with the children enough to teach them math. Because of the language barrier, she had chosen to teach a subject that spoke the international language of numbers which helped her communicate with the kids more.

And the kids.

Holy crap.

She had thought that her former class were made of angels but the kids she taught were so precious and lovely that she couldn't put it into words. Whenever she struggled with a Spanish word, there was always a student ready to help her, they would look so happy when they saw her in the halls or walking into class.

They had even given her a nickname: Red Rose Teacher.

She laughed extra loud when she heard that one.

These were kids that were so driven and passionate to learn and absorb as much from their education as they could. They weren't there because their mom and dad paid for them to be there and they weren't learning just because they had to.

They wanted to.

Here were these young souls, young spirits _thriving_ to know more about the world and use that information to become greater people to lead the future generations. Just being around them, watching them laugh and play with pure innocence bursting at the seams reignited the passion she had for teaching. For enlightening young minds and making them feel like they had the power to change the world.

But the kids weren't the only ones growing and learning. Being around kids from an underprivileged background made her learn how to find enjoyment and happiness from the smallest of moments. She learned how to laugh out loud at the silliest of jokes or how to kick her shoes off and run out into the soccer field to challenge some of the 8 8-year-oldso a game of soccer that she would no doubt lose. 

There was a smile and a laugh in her that would never be erased. 

**Month 6**

Wonho walked out of his shower with a skip in his step as he dried his blonde hair; the result of a drunken dare by the guys, and ran a towel through the wet strands. He walked past the calendar hanging on his wall before backtracking to stand in front of it and stare at the red circle around today's date.

_D-Day: She's back_

He grinned to himself while pulling jeans and a white t-shirt on before grabbing his phone, wallet, and keys before heading to out. Just as he stepped out his bedroom door, Shownu raced out of his bedroom with wide eyes.

"Are you going to pick her up?"

Wonho chuckled, "Yeah, calm down. You can't come with me."

"Whatever." Shownu said with a huff, "Just drive safely and take my car. You're not picking her up on your bike."

Wonho rolled his eyes good-naturedly, "I know, old man." And walked away, not seeing his friend stick his middle finger up at him.

\-----

Wonho leaned against a pillar at the airport with his arms crossed over his chest, waiting for the familiar face to walk out of the terminal. He was constantly checking his phone for texts from her but the last one he had received was one telling him that she was still waiting for her luggage.

Just as he was about to send her another text he saw her walking out with a suitcase trailing behind her. His face lit up when she found him in the crowd and walked up to her with a warm smile and a welcoming gaze.

"Hey little lady, how was the flight?" He asked, giving her hug before taking the garment bag out of her hands.

She grunted, displeased, "Awful."

Wonho chuckled and swung his arm around her shoulders, "Oh come one, Hyerin. You're getting married tomorrow and you just picked up your custom wedding dress from Milan. How is _anything_ awful?"

"Baby cried halfway through the entire plane ride and I'm pretty sure that dress is going to smell like stale plane air when I walk down the aisle tomorrow."

"And I'm sure Shownu will still marry you without missing a beat." He teased while bumping their shoulders together.

She smiled before twisting her engagement ring around her finger, "Good."

"So…have you heard from Yena?" He asked softly as they walked to the parking lot.

Hyerin's smile fell as she frowned, "I'm not sure, she said she'd try to get on a flight but it would be difficult because of the weather conditions there. I haven't heard from her since."

"Oh." Wonho said before pulling his keys out of his pocket.

Hyerin looked up at him before hooking her arm through his, "I miss her too and I want my maid of honor at my wedding so badly but we can't be selfish no matter how much we want to be. She'll come back to us eventually, Wonho. She just needs time."

"I know." He said while unlocking the car, "I just thought that your wedding might be the reason for her to come back."

Hyerin gave him a smile before taking the garment bag from him, "Me too."

Wonho took Hyerin's luggage and threw it in the trunk when something caught the corner of his eyes from across the parking lot. He jerked his head up, swearing that he saw a glimpse of Yena in his peripheral, but when he looked up, all he saw was a tourist bus parked in front of the airport entrance. he winced, his heart hurting from how quickly it sped up at the thought of seeing her.

He was missing her too much that he was basically going insane.

He shook his head before getting into the driver's seat and driving off with Hyerin.

\-----

Yena tapped her foot against the tiled floor, watching other people's luggage pass her by before waiting for her own. She was beyond tired, after a long flight and just wanted to take a nice hot bath to melt her sore muscles.

She rolled her neck and rubbed her eyes as before checking her phone to see the last message Wonho had sent her about a week ago.

_Alright, I'll tell Hyerin. Everyone's been sort of hectic trying to help with the wedding but they keep asking about you. Hope you can make it to the wedding._

_Be safe._

_I miss you._

Her lips twitched. She had read that text over a dozen times and it warmed her up every single time. She had barely seen them other than the few times she could access her email where they'd send her pictures of them, of Jiaen and of Hyerin's dress and ginormous ring.

She missed them too.

All of them.

Including Wonho.

And every night, right before she drifted off to sleep, whether she intended to or not, she could hear his voice whispering, _I love you_ , in the back of her sub conscious.

But she loved the last 6 months in Argentina and could easily say they were the best months of her life. So when Hyerin told her that she and Shownu go engaged, she knew that she was ready to come back to Seoul for good. She felt like a brand new person. Spending time with those kids allowed her to laugh out loud more, crack jokes, tease them and smile without restraint. She was so much more outgoing and she had to attribute it to the kids. They brought out a side of her that was so bright and joyful without even trying to. 

Either way, she felt renewed and was ready to bring back that same aura home.

Sighing in relief, she walked up to the conveyor belt and lifted her three suitcases and piled them up on a cart before heading out to find a cab. She had chosen not to tell anyone largely because she wasn't sure if she would even get a ticket in time for the wedding but also because she didn't want a grand welcome.

She wanted to take in the city that she grew up in and loved. She wanted to catch up with the place she hadn't seen in 6 months.

Yena stood outside the airport doors and stuck her hand out, waving down a taxi until one finally stopped in front of her. The driver was helping her move her belongings into the trunk when she felt her heart leap to her throat. She froze, jerking her head up when she swore she saw Wonho standing by one of the cars but as she craned her neck to get a proper look, a tourist bus pulled up in front of her blocking her view. Once everyone exited the bus and it pulled away, the exact parking spot that she thought she had seen him at was empty.

Yena shook her head before getting into the cab.

Wonho wouldn't be at the airport, she didn't tell anyone that she was coming back today.

Plus Wonho was never blonde.

\-----

Yena left her new apartment around 9:30 and decided to go for a walk. Over the last month, she had gotten Shownu to scope out some places for her that were near her parents' care home and set her up with the paperwork so that she'd have a place of her own when she got back.

Apparently, her teaching position in Argentina made her a lucrative commodity in the education industry that was in desperate need of multilingual teachers, so she had job offers thrown at her left and right.

It just felt right, like everything that was up in the air before was starting to fall into place now.

Yena slid her hands in her pockets, the air was still sharp as spring was still in its early stages, and continued to walk around. Her apartment wasn’t too far from everyone else's and it was nice that she was still close to her friends but walking down the sidewalk that she had traveled hundreds of times before made her nostalgic in the strangest ways.

She was a completely different person when she last walked this path. She was scared, timid, closed off and defensive. Every little thing would scare her. She wasn't that person anymore.

Yena stopped in front of the gates to the park and thought for a minute before entering the grounds. A strange bubbling excitement filled her chest as she reached the bench that was carefully hidden away by the shadows. This was where she had first meant Wonho in the dark.

That was when she went running because Namjoon told her to lose weight for the gala.

Her throat started to scratch up as she reminisced on the memories she made here.

Her and Wonho walking his friends' boss's dog together.

Wonho surprising her for her birthday with a cake and a bouquet of flowers.

Wonho saving her from getting attacked.

Her hugging Wonho when she thought she would never be allowed to see him again.

That one bench and this entire park was a reminder of how much she had grown, how much she had matured and how she had changed with every time she came here. It was like with each visit, a part of her old self would be chipped off like old, flakey paint. She learned something about new herself every time she came here with him.

Hell, she went for nightly walks in the middle of the night in autumn and somehow she always felt warm.

Now she was _always_ warm.

Now she was painfully in love with herself and how strong of a person she had become.

She rarely felt small anymore and her voice sounded louder in her ears. Yena tilted her head up to the sky and closed her eyes, letting the wind brush over her features. Years ago she had stood at that very spot, a different woman. A woman that she was still proud of and a woman that she still loved very much but a different one nonetheless.

Yena was positive that even back then when she was broken and scared, that she was in love with herself. Because she loved herself enough to leave a toxic relationship, one that was disturbed and fractured on too many levels. She loved herself even when she couldn't leave.

The only difference now was that she was aware of how important she was.

"What a magical damn park." She mumbled under her breath with a short laugh.

It was crazy to her how significant this one spot at this one park near this one bench had become. She felt like she was reminiscing about her Alma Mater. So many memories. For the first time since she landed, she let her mind properly drift to _him_. To really think about him instead of thinking about his name in passing.

She wondered where he was right now and if he ever came back and revisited this very spot while reminiscing about the same things that she wa--

"Fancy running into you here…" A warm voice spread through the cold air, making her gasp as she spun around.

"…Red."


	42. Chapter 42

"Fancy running into you here…Red."

Six words that started a rush of pieces being fit back together.

Short texts due to unstable service turned to long late night conversations as they mumbled softly to each other, laughing and smiling as they fell asleep to the sound of their voices laced with love.

Coffee to go turned to coffee for two, huddled in a corner booth together with words and stories floating through the cafe as memories were shared between two friends catching up.

Dropping by each other's work place with a bag of simple take out turned into long deliberately planned dinner dates with the line between them blurred as he complimented her eyes and she smiled at him over the candle.

Innocent touches or accidental grazing while walking next to each other turned into breathless kisses under the stars in front of her door as he memorized every gasp and every smile she imprinted against his mouth when she kissed him.

Careful steps in the right direction turned into him calling her his girlfriend when someone at work asked who she was and her calling him her boyfriend when Sooyeon would send her emails, asking how her love life was going. 

Dressing the way she was told turned into raiding his closet when he wasn't in the room and throwing on whatever she liked only to have it pulled off her body when he pushed her down on the bed while mumbling against her shoulder how absolutely _mind numbing_ she looked in his clothes.

Spending every second of her life settling for less than she deserved, less than she was worth, turned into a woman that loved herself to the extent that no man could ever but Wonho would damn well try.

Days when he'd pick her up at her house, turned into nights with them stumbling across the floor to her bed with their lips locked and clothes hastily tossed away as they made up for lost time.

And lonely, cold mornings alone turned into a warm bed and lazy Sunday kisses tangled up between groggy, husky words of shy _good mornings_ and honest _you look beautiful, Red, Jesus Christ, the way you make a man weak in his knees should be illegal._

And months of chanting I love you in their subconscious turned into whispering it against each other's lips as he looked into her eyes and saw his whole damn world. 

**Month 1**

Yena groaned, rubbing her eyes when she woke up and immediately flinched at the hand that was under her shirt, palming her stomach as warmth spread through her back. "Wonho." She muttered, her voice thick and husky with sleep.

He hummed sleepily into her hair before tucking his face into her neck."What do you want, babe? It's like 6 AM."

"You're too warm. I'm sweating. Go away." She mumbled, while tiredly trying to shove him off of her.

Wonho grumbled under his breath before slipping his hand off of her and turning his back to her, burying himself further under the thick white blankets. Yena smiled slightly, already thoroughly woken up before looking over her shoulder at his broad back. She rolled over and slid up behind him before wrapping her arms around his middle. He stayed still for a moment before lacing his fingers through hers.

"Why are you coming onto me this early in the morning?" He muttered.

She smiled against his shirt and closed her eyes, "Because you're handsome and you have an attractive back."

Her smile grew when she could feel the vibrations from his laughter buzz down his back. She felt him take their laced hands and bring it up to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to the back of her hand. Yena tugged on their hand, making him turn to her. "You know I love you, right?"

Wonho grinned and wrapped his arms around her waist, his head sunken into the fluffy pillows. His blonde bangs brushed along his lashes as he bent down to kiss her, "I know." He mumbled against her lips, "And thank you for never letting me forget it."

"But you know." He said while rolling on top of her, "I was being serious about getting Shownu to get the courts to make you illegal. You're more addicting than smoking."

She tilted her head, "But you quit smoking."

"Because I replaced that bad habit with another one." His said with a languid grin.

She laughed loudly as he held her hands over her head, "You're the worst flirt ever and I know it's going to get you into trouble, mister."

But he wasn't joking, he didn't taste like tobacco and bad dreams anymore, he tasted sweeter, in fact, he was started to taste awfully like the woman that was curled up under him with a smile like Nirvana and eyes that could quite literally steal a man's heart. 

"I'm a bad boy, remember? I get into all sorts of trouble." He mumbled while brushing their lips together, "And now I have a wonderful woman to help bail me out of that sort of trouble."

He flirted with her like that relentlessly, as if he was still trying to convince her to fall for him and when she asked him why, all he said was, "I don't think I could ever stop flirting with a woman that I'm in love with."

"Am I that woman?" She would ask.

And he'd always reply with his lips on her neck and that devilish look in his eyes, "You're _always_ that woman."

**Month 2**

"No! I'm furious." She yelled, nearly nailing Yena in the head with a purse. "2 FUCKING MONTHS ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"

Wonho was hidden cautiously behind Shownu's couch, his eyes poking up from above the leather.

"YOU TWO HAVE BEEN DATING FOR TWO MONTHS?" She screamed.

Yena held her hands out, "Now Hyerin, are you really mad about me and Wonho or are you mad that Shownu got you pregnant only 2 months after being married."

"Don't you dare turn this on me." Shownu called out from behind his couch before turning to Wonho, "She's right, though. She totally taking out her rage for me on Yena." He whispered to Wonho.

"I heard that!" Hyerin said while whipping the designer couch cushion at his head. "And no. I'm just mad that the woman that I basically birthed--"

"You didn't birth me." Yena said with a look.

"A woman that I basically _birthed_." She repeated with a glare, "Is finally dating the man that I've been wanting her to date for _over a year_ and she didn't even bother telling me. That is not just rude and inconsiderate but that is high-treason, my lord. HIGH TREASON." She yelled to the sky.

Wonho looked at Shownu who just shook her head, "She's on a medieval times kick recently. The last time she was feeling dizzy she told me that she would buy a guillotine online and behead me in my sleep. Don't worry, she never means it."

"We wanted to wait before telling anyone." Yena said calmly, approaching the woman before getting close enough to rub her slightly inflated stomach as if to remind her that she shouldn't kill anyone while having a baby in her, "We just wanted to make sure it was real before we got anyone's hopes up."

Hyerin huffed childishly, "Really?"

"I swear. Isn't that right little baby?" She cooed while talking to Hyerin's stomach.

Shownu looked over at Wonho who was leaning his head against the back of the couch with a smile, "You waited to see if it was real?"

"She's lying." He said with a grin, "We knew it was real the minute we saw each other at the park. We just wanted to indulge in the relationship, just the two of us, but that's not really an answer you'd tell an angry pregnant woman."

"SHOWNU! Where is he? Where's the bastard with the toxic dick?" Hyerin snapped.

Yena came running behind the couch and pointed at him, "I found him."

"You filthy traitor." Shownu hissed under his breath but Yena just smiled with a wink and pulled him up off the ground before taking his spot. Wonho snickered quietly and pulled her onto his lap before kissing up her jaw.

"Wanted to make sure, huh?" He whispered while Shownu ducked Hyerin's fatal blows.

Yena giggled softly squirming when he tickled her with his kisses and he just laughed against her skin. "I just didn't want her reaching for the knives."

Wonho hummed and continued kissing her jaw up to her cheek and behind her ear. "God I love you so much that if she reached for the knives I'd be there in a second. I'd literally take a knife in the chest for you." He mumbled as he took a breath of her scent.

"Is that why you were hiding here the whole time?" She whispered with a glint in her eye.

His arms bound around her waist as he bumped their noses together, "Exactly, babe. You read me so well."

"What about me?" She asked seriously. "Can you read me well?"

"No, Red. I still can't." He said while looking into her eyes, "But _holy hell_ , I'll spend the rest of my life reading every page. Even the page with all the copyright and publishing information. I'll read and memorize it all."

She pulled his face close and kissed him repeatedly before he caught her lip and kissed her hard as her fingers danced up his neck.

"Wait. I haven't heard from them. Where'd they go? ARE THEY MAKING OUT IN MY BABY'S FUTURE HOUSE?!"

**Month 4**

"Hey good looking." Wonho jerked his head up to see Yena standing by his office doorway with a bag of food.

His face melted into a look of love and exhaustion as he sighed, "Hey baby, I was just going to call you."

She kicked the door shut behind her and walked up to his table and set the bag of food on the center before walking around the desk leaning against the corner, "Brought lunch. I need to get back to the school in half an hour, though." 

He placed a hand on her thigh and stood up, "Did any of your faculty wonder why you were wearing scarves in the middle of summer?" He asked while tugging on the sheer fabric to reveal the purple and blue galaxies that he left blossoming along her collar and neck after a particularly productive morning in bed.

"No, and you're lucky. I did not want to deal with the judgement." She muttered while tugging her scarf out of his fingers to reposition it around her neck. 

He just squeezed her thigh under her skirt and pressed his lips against hers, using his other hand to cup her cheek he guiding her back against his desk and loomed over her, taking in the taste of her tongue and the sensation of her breath until she started laughing. She pushed him away and snorted, "Really? Making out on your desk? Can you be more cliché?"

She was so beautiful, her cheeks flushed, her eyes bright and glazed, her lips red and a smile that redefined the word 'radiance.' Wonho stared at her, his lips in a firm line with neither mirth nor his usual amusement evident in his eyes. Instead, his stare was heavy and layered and her chest constricted in panic. She had never seen him look at her like that ever since they started dating.

"What's wrong?" She whispered with a frown.

Wonho continued to stare at her before letting out a breath and pulling away from her. He took a step back and ran his fingers through his hair and rested his hands on his hips. Yena pushed herself up off his desk and stared at him. "Wonho, wha--"

He walked to his desk, opened a drawer and pulled out an envelope before handing it to her, "I guess because of the restraining order, he sent it to the shop instead."

"W-Wait, you're saying this is…" Her voice shook, breaking his heart as her fingers trembled around the envelope.

"From Namjoon. He sent it from prison." Wonho said while leaning against the wall across from her, "I got it last night and I spent the entire day wondering if you should see this but I figured it wasn't my decision."

She stared at the address from the jail, "Did you read it?"

"I didn't even open it and you don't have to either." He said, softly. "You're not obligated to hear him out."

She shook her head. She had spent the last year not thinking about, not even wondering if he was still alive or not. She wanted to know what he was like now, "I know. I don't owe him anything. But I want to read this."

"Alright." He walked over to her and squeezed her shoulder before kissing her on the forehead, "I'll be outside. Give me a call if you need me."

"I always need you." She said, looking up at him.

His lips quirked up and leaned down to meet her lips with his, "Again. You've shot my heart again, you damn vixen."

"I love you." She whispered, her eyes faltering.

He brushed her hair over her shoulder and trailed his fingers down the side of her neck, "And I will always love you."

She smiled and watched him walk out of the door before looking down at the note in her hands before she turned it over and slid her finger under the flap. She dragged hwe finger along the lip, tearing it open. Her hands shook as she pulled the note out and flipped it open.

_Yena-_

_I don't know how to start this, hell, I don't even know if you'll ever read this. I don't know if you'll even_ want _to read it._

_I'm sorry._

_You'll never know how sorry I am for what I've done to you for all these years. I've become my father and you were right, I was trying to make you my mother because that was the only way I knew how to treat women._

_But that isn't an excuse, not for what I did to you. I can't imagine what you went through and I keep imagining our life if I had stopped that man before he could hurt you. I keep thinking that maybe we could've had something real and that maybe someone like you could've made my past hurt less._

_I fucked up, Yena. I'm fucked up. I think I'm still a little messed up but I'm trying to get better. I've hurt so many other people and I think about how I must've made them feel exactly how I made you feel and that keeps me up at night._

_I don't want your forgiveness so I don't really know why I'm writing to you. I just know that I didn't deserve you and I didn't deserve the amount of forgiveness and kindness that you showed me even when I tried to break you down. You're a good person with the shit luck of running into me._

_My mom visits me, she moved out of our house and lives with her sister now. Things aren't easy on our family but I think we're starting to work through some stuff and even though I'll never leave this place, I at least know that I'll die a better person than when I came here. I hope you can live happily now. I hope you can be whole again._

_With care,_

_Namjoon_

Yena slid off the table and crossed her legs under the desk before crying.

**Month 6**

"Would you ever marry me?"

Yena gaped at Wonho's abrupt question as they walked hand in hand late at night. "What does that even mean?"

"Would there ever be a time when you'd consider spending the rest of your life with me?" He asked while gently swinging their hands back and forth.

She squeezed his hand and leaned her head against his arm, "Of course." She said quietly. "When I imagine the rest of my life, you're always in it. You just fit so well."

"I think about marrying you every day." He said softly while staring ahead. "Every damn day."

She looked away with a shy smile, "So why haven't you asked me yet?"

"I haven't asked for your parents' blessing yet." He said simply, letting go of her hand to drape it around her shoulder.

She wrapped her arm around Wonho's waist and grinned, "What would you do once you get it?"

"Probably ask you to marry me." He teased.

She laughed and nodded, "Sounds like a solid plan."

"What would you do if I asked?"

She slid out from under his arm and stood in front of him while walking backward, "Make you sweat, thinking I was going to say no and then finally say yes."

"You're cruel." He said with a laugh.

She licked her lips and tilted her head, "I have an honest question."

"Are you going to ask me to marry you, because spoiler alert, I'm going to say yes." He joked.

She shook her head with a chuckle, "No. Different question."

"Shoot."

She bit down on her lip and peered up at him, "Why did you wait so long for me? I heard you say that you loved me even before I left to Argentina. You loved me when my life was hell and I was dragging around emotional baggage. Why would you bother waiting for me all this time, not knowing if I'd ever feel the same way?"

"Because I don’t think anyone would ever compare to you. If I was ever with anyone else I would keep comparing them to how I felt when I was with you. I thought about you when I should've been thinking about myself. I woke up with texts from you and would fall asleep wondering if you were having fun in Argentina. At a certain point, I couldn't control myself. I waited for you even if I didn't want to. I knew that you were my endgame and that it'd be just a waste of time and pain if I was with anyone else. That's when I knew you were worth waiting for." He said while taking in a long breath.

Yena's eyes were wide as she continued to walk backward. She had never heard a man talk about her like that. To make her feel that treasured and that valuable that they would wait that long just to _try_ at the chance to be with her.

Wonho reached out and stopped her from walking before cupping her cheeks and pulling her close so that he could see her eyes and brush their noses together, "I wake up and think _holy shit_ _she's actually my girlfriend. I get to kiss her and hold her and wake up to her and make love to her and spend my life with her. My god. How the actual fuck?_ Because before, I'd just dream of stuff like that with you. I would think that it would only be possible in an unreal world. But it's real. You're…you're mine and it still feels so surreal. That's why I work my ass off for this relationship. I want to be with you for a long time because your love is so fucking precious and I'm not screwing this up." His thumbs stroked the skin on her cheeks.

"I love y--"

He cut her off, continuing on his romantic tangent with, "And I was the first guy to ever give her a mind blowing, body numbing, orgasm so--"

"Are you kidding me!?" She shrieked, shoving him away.

Wonho was bent over, holding his stomach as he laughed.

She shoved him again, her cheeks flaring, "What the fuck! I can't believe you! I can't believe you just said that!"

"Aww, baby. I was kidding." He said between loud wheezes.

She let out an accidental laugh before trying to act angry, "You're terrible. You were so romantic and basically turned me into a puddle. Why'd you have to ruin it?!"

"You're just so beautiful when you whoop my ass, Red." He said cheekily.

Yena scoffed, "That's it, I'm not going to marry you when you ask." She said haughtily before flipping her hair and storming away.

"Wait!" He exclaimed with wide eyes, "Don't joke about that! Baby? You don't mean that, right? Yena?"

Being with Wonho was one of the best decisions of her life and if she had to go through everything in her life to become the person she was today and end up with Wonho, she'd do it again. She'd close her eyes and dive back into it, because her past did not define her, instead it turned her into the person she was today.

The average human, with no prior training, can hold their breath for one minute underwater.

One minute.

60 seconds.

60, 000 milliseconds.

One minute.

One minute of pure blissful, euphoric silence.

One minute of closing your mind off and the only lingering thought being, _how long will I last?_

But then right before that minute is up, you always burst your head up, out from under the water with a loud desperate gasp for air.

Not because you're running out of oxygen, but because you realize that the deafening, euphoric, silence isn't what you want.

You want noise.

You want music.

You want colour.

You want the world curled up in your palm.

You want to hear hymns being sung from above.

And you want the power break every single one of them by your own hand.

Because you will not be shaken.

You will not be torn down.

You will be reborn.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is Loviet from AFF! I am crossposting my story from AFF. You can confirm this is really me on my twitter: @Realloviet
> 
> You can also find this fic on AFF: https://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/1103193


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